Syrian Rebels Capture Key City in Another Setback for Assad

Syrian opposition forces captured the strategic city of Hama in central Syria on December 5. This is the latest victory for the rebels since they launched a new offensive last week, resulting in the capture of Aleppo.

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.
—Resul Serdar, Al Jazeera

The rebels, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, said they freed hundreds of “wrongfully detained” people from the city’s prison. They also took over the city’s military airport, which is one of the largest in Syria and has been used by government forces to strike the opposition. Government forces have retreated from the city.

Assad regime falling? Hama was one of the few cities completely under control of President Bashar Assad’s government since the civil war erupted in 2011. The city was also a supply route used by Iran to move arms to its terrorist proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Hama’s capture on the heels of Aleppo’s fall shows that control in the north by the Assad regime, which is backed by Russia and Iran, is quickly collapsing.

Breaking Iran ties: Whether the Assad regime ends up being completely overthrown or not, Bible prophecy shows that Iran’s influence in Syria will diminish as the country starts looking to Europe for aid. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote about this in the September 2012 Trumpet issue:

Right now, Bashar Assad’s Syria is closely allied with Iran—but … prophecy shows that these two nations are about to split. This will have a domino effect on other nations. These events will really shake this world and dramatically alter the course of history!

To learn about these prophecies in detail, read Mr. Flurry’s latest article “Expect Dramatic Change in Syria.”