CNN —Syria’s army said it is withdrawing from Hama, a symbolic and strategically important central city, marking a second major gain for a newly formed rebel coalition that also captured Aleppo last week. Rebels had been unable to capture the city since the Syrian civil war began in 2011. The rebels vowed to advance further south, to the city of Homs, another major city about 165 kilometers (100 miles) from the capital Damascus. Syria’s civil war began during the 2011 Arab Spring as the government suppressed an uprising against Assad, who has been president since 2000. The country plunged into a full-scale civil war as the protests turned into an armed rebellion.

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Persons: CNN —, Rebels, ”, Bashar al, Assad, Abu Mohammad Al Jolani, Hayat, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, –, Hafez al, Assad –, Jolani, Hassan Abdulghani, Hama Organizations: CNN, SANA, Rebels, ISIS, United, Terrorist Organization Locations: Hama, Aleppo, Syria’s, Iran, Russia, Syria, Damascus, Hayat Tahrir, Al, al Qaeda, United States, Homs