The jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forces, formerly the Al Nusra Front, have captured the Syrian city of Hama. The Syrian army has confirmed that its troops have retreated from the city.
Aleppo and Hama, both of which have now been captured by HTS, are Syria’s second-largest and fourth-largest cities respectively.
Hama has been under the control of Bashar al-Assad’s forces since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. However, Assad’s forces have been heavily reliant on Russian backing, and this support has grown weaker since the war in Ukraine.
HTS, which claims to have seized Hama prison and released prisoners, is now threatening the nearby city of Homs.
Abu Mohammed al-Julani of HTS has issued a video statement warning Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani against any involvement by Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation (Hashd al-Shaabi) forces.
