Islamist rebels took the Syrian city of Hama Thursday from the forces of the secularist President Bashar al-Assad. Fighting between the rebels and Assad’s Syrian Arab Army had been occurring on the outskirts of the city for the previous five days.
The rebel forces are led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which grew out of an Al Qaeda affiliate. The leader of HTS, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, is also the former leader of the Al Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s Syrian branch. HTS is also rumored to have received aid from Ukraine in the form of kamikaze drones to use against Russian bases in Syria.
Hellbound and Down 