The speed with which the status quo in Syria, however unresolved and unsatisfactory, has broken down in recent days has been remarkable.
According to foreign media, Syrian government officials and supporters still maintained that the army would retain control of Hama, even as rebel fighters entered the city.
Shortly after these statements, the Syrian army admitted that it had withdrawn from Hama, leaving control of the city to rebel factions for the first time.
After capturing two major cities in a week, the next target for the insurgents led by the Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is Homs.
Tens of thousands of people are fleeing the city in anticipation of what looks set to be the next big battle.
The challenge has grown rapidly to President Bashar al-Assad and his main backers, Russia and Iran.
Homs is strategically much more important than Aleppo or Hama, previously seized by Islamist rebels.
This city lies at a crossroads that leads west to the heart of support for the Assad dynasty and south to the capital, Damascus. (A2 Televizion)
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