Recent fighting in Syria's northwest has displaced more than 280,000 people, the United Nations World Food Program said in a post on X on Thursday.
This came as Syrian insurgents entered the central city of Hama Thursday after days of intense clashes with government forces as they push forward with their week-long offensive that brought large parts of Syria under their control.
The Syrian army said it has withdrawn from Hama after opposition insurgents broke through its defenses marking another setback for President Bashar Assad, days after losing the country's largest city.
The Syrian army said it redeployed from Hama and took positions outside the city to protect the lives of civilians.
The opposition armed group's next target is likely to be the central city of Homs, the country’s third largest.
Homs, which is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Hama, is the gate to the capital Damascus, Assad's seat of power and the coastal region that is a base of support for him.
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the de facto leader of the Syrian insurgency announced in a video message that the insurgency reached the city of Hama in a “conquering that is not vengeful, but one of mercy and compassion.”
