Syrian rebels close to occupying fourth city of Hama...a procession of evacuation from the residents

Foreign media reported on the 3rd that Syrian rebels have advanced to the front of the central hub city of hippo as they continue a strong counterattack against government forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said rebels had reached the hippo gateway and that rebel forces had shelled around the hippo.

Syrian military command says government forces are sweeping terrorist organizations in northern Hama and Idlib province with Russian air force support.

Syria's state-run Sanaa news agency says large government forces have arrived in Hama to fill up troops on the front lines and are preparing for rebel attacks.

Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city, is the main stronghold of forces against the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war.

Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the SOHR, predicted that a rebel takeover of the hippos would pose a threat to Bashar al-Assad's regime.

In hippos and neighboring areas, large numbers of residents are fleeing as fighting between rebels and government forces intensifies.

The rebels, led by the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), based in northwest Syria, have been advancing since late last month, taking control of key Syrian strongholds.

Syrian government forces are conducting airstrikes and defensive warfare against the rebels, backed by Russia and Iran.