After Taking Aleppo, Syrian Rebels Stun Assad’s Army In Hama, Jittery Putin Blames “External Forces”

Syrian rebels are said to have encircled the key city of Hama “from three sides”, a war monitor has said. Hama is strategically located in central Syria and, for the army, it is crucial to safeguarding the capital Damascus.The rebels are now present at a distance of three to four kilometres from Hama,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The UK-based Observatory said that Assad’s forces were “left with only one exit towards Homs to the south.”Meanwhile, Assad’s forces and Iran-backed militias are trying to push back rebels from the edge of Hama, Syrian army sources told Reuters. It comes as Russian airstrikes hit civilian areas overnight in a bid to push back fighters gaining ground just kilometers away from Hama. Hama’s fall would put major pressure on President Bashar al-Assad after the capture of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, last week. n18oc_world n18oc_crux0:00 INTRODUCTION3:06 HTS CHIEF VISITS ALEPPO CITADEL4:18 REBELS SAID TO CAPTURE MiG-23 JET5:40 RUSSIA BLAMES “EXTERNAL FORCES” FOR SYRIA CRISIS