A coalition of Syrian rebels captured the country’s fourth-largest city of Hama yesterday, forcing the Syrian army further south. The conquest follows last week’s takeover of the commercial capital, Aleppo, with the group reportedly continuing south toward Homs in the direction of the capital, Damascus (see map).
The swift advance has surprised observers (see why) amid the fourth year of a relatively quiet ceasefire to the country’s 13-year civil war. Before last week, the Russia- and Iran-backed Assad regime controlled roughly 70% of the country, with the rest divided among radical Islamists, Kurdish separatists, and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Leading the well-armed advance is former al-Qaida affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, long in control of the northwestern Idlib province.
Some governments, including neighbor Israel, are preparing for the possible collapse of the Assad regime. Roughly 900 US troops have been stationed in the country for years, officially to fight the long-degraded ISIS.