BBC:
Syrian rebels say they have taken full control of a second major city, after the military withdrew its troops from Hama in another setback for President Bashar al-Assad.
The leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, declared “victory” in Hama and vowed there would be “no revenge”.
Earlier, HTS fighters and their allies took over Hama central prison and released inmates amid fierce battles, while the military said it had redeployed troops outside the city.
Hama is home to one million people and is 110km (70 miles) south of Aleppo, which the rebels captured last week after launching a surprise offensive from their stronghold in the north-west.
The rebel commander told residents of Homs, which is the next city south on the highway from Aleppo to Damascus, that “your time has come”.
In the past, President Assad relied on Russia and Iran to crush his opponents.
But with both allies preoccupied with their own affairs, it is unclear how – or if – he will be able to stop an advance that could threaten his government’s survival.
More than half a million people have been killed since a civil war erupted in 2011 after Assad’s government cracked down violently on peaceful pro-democracy protests.
