Syrian opposition fighters claim to have entered the key city of Hama
Al Jazeera
The Syrian military denies the claims as state media reports that the attack had been repelled.
Syrian opposition fighters say they have started pushing into Hama, a major city where pro-government forces backed by intense Russian air attacks are trying to halt their lightning advance.
Commander Hassan Abdul Ghany posted on social media on Thursday that his fighters had begun entering Hama, which they had been laying siege to since Tuesday amid heavy fighting overnight with the Syrian army.
The Syrian military dismissed the claim, saying the report was untrue. State media earlier reported that pro-government forces had repelled an attack.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said the fighters claimed to be just 2km (1.2 miles) from the city centre and are advancing towards it.
“This is a major development; in just over a week they have managed to take full control of Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, and now the fourth-largest city,” Serdar said, reporting from the Turkish city of Kilis, on the border with Syria.
