ISLAMIST-led rebels captured the central Syrian city of Hama on Thursday, days after seizing the country's commercial hub Aleppo in a lightning offensive against President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Following overnight clashes, the rebels stormed Hama "from several sides" and engaged in street battles with Assad's forces, Britain-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said.
The rebels said they seized Hama's prison and released its inmates. By the afternoon, Syria's army admitted losing control of the city, strategically located between Aleppo and Assad's seat of power in the capital Damascus.
"Over the past few hours, with the intensification of confrontations between our soldiers and terrorist groups... these groups were able to breach a number of axes in the city and entered it," the army said in a statement, adding units had regrouped outside Hama.
Aron Lund, a fellow of the Century International think tank, called the loss of Hama "a massive, massive blow to the Syrian government" because the army should have had an advantage there to reverse rebel gains "and they couldn't do it."
Esta historia es de la edición December 06, 2024 de The New Indian Express Tirunelveli.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 06, 2024 de The New Indian Express Tirunelveli.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
A SLIPPERY SLOPE & SILENT EPIDEMIC
NOOP, a bright young man from Kottayam, had high hopes when he landed a job at a reputed IT company in Bengaluru through campus placement. Hailing from a middle-class family, his success was seen as a beacon of promise for his future. But within two years of joining the firm, Anoop found himself staring at a disheartening email from HR—his dismissal owing to poor performance.
GREEN CORNER IN BOXING DAY BOUT
MCG curator says grass on the surface should excite pacers
Scrap dealer's son Sairaj claims gold
SAIRAJ Pardeshi was pretty clear what he had to become when he was only eight.
Naveen & Lokesh one hit away from national glory
IT was a mixed outing for shuttlers from Tamil Nadu in the ongoing Senior National Badminton Championships in Bengaluru on Monday.
Hyderabad FC squander 2-goal lead to suffer loss
HYDERABAD FC have endured a difficult run in the ongoing Indian Super League so far. And things turned from bad to worse on Monday.
Adani Defence acquires 85.8% in Air Works
ADANI DEFENCE Systems & Technologies Ltd. (ADSTL) in acquiring 85.8% shareholding in Air Works (AWIEPL), India's largest private sector MRO company with the largest pan-India footprint, said the Adani Group company on Monday. ADSTL will acquire the stake at an enterprise value of ₹400 crore.
Razorpay grants employees ₹1L ESOPs to mark 10-yr of operation
FINTECH major Razorpay is awarding employee stock option plans (ESOPs) worth ₹1 lakh to all its current employees as part of its 10 years celebration.
Honda-Nissan to be 3rd-largest carmaker
JAPANESE auto giants Honda and Nissan have announced plans to merge operations, creating the world's third-largest automaker by sales, trailing only Toyota and Volkswagen.
Women represent 20% of crypto exchange CoinDCX's high networth customers
WITH the increasing adoption of cryptocurrency, women are now representing 20% of crypto exchange CoinDCX's HNI (high net-worth individual) customers.
GST rate hike: Used car market faces challenges
Experts say rate hike from 12-18% to impact second-hand vehicle biz