Where have anti-Assad rebels taken control?

The rebels launched a major offensive against the Syrian government, seizing towns in a lightning advance that expanded the territory under their control.

Rebels captured the town of Hama on Thursday, dealing another blow to President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies.

The capture of Hama gives them control of the strategically located central city for the first time since a rebellion against Assad escalated into civil war 13 years ago.

Russia, Syria's main ally, is carrying out airstrikes against rebels led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, but it is unclear how – or if – Assad will be able to stop an advance which could threaten the survival of his government.

Syria, a country of approximately 22 million people, is located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Turkey to the north, Lebanon and Israel to the west and southwest, Iraq to the east and Jordan to the south.

Turkey, Western powers, and several Gulf Arab states have supported various elements of the Syrian opposition to varying degrees during the conflict.

The Lebanon-based Hezbollah movement, backed by Iran, fought alongside the Syrian regime's army but was severely weakened by its conflict with Israel.

Israel, concerned about what it calls Iran's “military entrenchment” in Syria, has launched airstrikes against the Syrian army.

After years stuck behind frozen front lines, the rebels swept south through what was the last territory under their control in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, which border Turkey, to stage the fastest advance fast on the battlefield of both sides in the civil war.

Hama is a third of the 330 km road from Aleppo to Damascus.

Its capture will hamper any rapid attempt by Assad and his allies to launch a counter-offensive against rebel gains last week.

The arrival of rebel fighters in Hama comes a little more than a week after the start of a vast offensive that took Aleppo and ended a years-long stalemate.

The insurgents had been fighting since Tuesday to reach Hama, to encircle the city from the north, east and west, where they clashed with the Syrian army.

The capture of Hama could pave the way for a new rebel push at the central crossroads of Homs and further south, including in the capital Damascus.

The insurgents say they are ready to march south, towards Homs, a crossroads city which connects the capital Damascus to the north and the coast.

A rebel advance on Homs, 40 km south of Hama, could cut Damascus off from the coastal region, an area where Assad enjoys support and where his Russian allies have a naval base and an air base in Latakia.

Rebels are advancing along the key Aleppo-Damascus road, shown on the map below.

The road is extremely important to the rebels because it allows their fighters, who typically travel in convoys of small vehicles and motorcycles, to move easily and quickly to their next targets – and ultimately, Damascus itself.

Assad has vowed to “crush” the rebels and accused Western powers of trying to redraw the map of the region.