Syria’s army has ceded control of the city of Hama to advancing rebel forces, increasing the threat posed to President Bashar Assad’s hold on power.
Hama lies about halfway between Aleppo, which opposition fighters captured in a shock attack on government-held territory last week, and Damascus. Next on the road south is Homs, which if captured would potentially cut the Syrian capital off from the main land route to the Mediterranean coast.
The Syrian military said it redeployed outside Hama after opposition groups entered the center of the city, "despite suffering heavy losses,” according to a statement cited by the Sana news agency on Thursday. The military "will continue to carry out its national duty in reclaiming the areas entered by terrorist organizations,” it said.
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