A statue of the late Syrian president, Hafez al-Assad, the father of President Bashar al-Assad, has been torn down in the city of Hama.
Syrian rebels say they have taken full control of the country’s second major city, after the military withdrew.
The leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, declared “victory” in Hama and vowed there would be “no revenge”.
Earlier, HTS fighters and their allies took over Hama central prison and released inmates amid fierce battles, while the military said it had redeployed troops outside the city.
Hama is home to one million people and is 110km (70 miles) south of Aleppo, which the rebels captured last week after launching a surprise offensive from their stronghold in the north-west.
In Aleppo, a statue of President Bashar al-Assad’s late brother, Bassel, was destroyed a few days ago.
Read the full story of the rebels advance here.
