Syrian rebels have taken control of the central city of Hama as their shock advance across the country continues.
The Syrian army announced it was no longer in control of the city on Thursday, while an activist group said the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham-led fighters released hundreds of prisoners from Hama prison.
"Over the past few hours, with the intensification of confrontations between our soldiers and terrorist groups... these groups were able to breach a number of axes in the city and entered it," the army said.
It added that "military units stationed there have redeployed" outside the city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group monitoring the war, earlier said there was "street fighting against regime forces in a number of areas" across the city.
