GEOFF BENNETT: Rebels dealt another serious blow to the Syrian government today by capturing a key city in the center of the country.

Opposition forces took control of Hama, north of Damascus, and one of the few cities that's remained largely under government control since the civil war started back in 2011.

The northern city of Aleppo fell earlier this week as the opposition launched a major operation against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

John Yang has our report.

JOHN YANG: After two days of fierce fighting as the opposition dealt with both the regime and Russian airstrikes, today, the city of Hama in Central Syria fell to opposition forces.

Locals and others across the nation rejoiced.

Hama is a key strategic hub in the fight for Syria.

It lies at the crossroads of Aleppo and Damascus, Assad's base of power, on the M5 highway, a vital route connecting Syria's northern and southern regions.

It's also home to the Hama military base, and now both the base and its stockpile are in the hands of the opposition coalition, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and Syrian National Army opposition groups.

The city had been in the regime's hands for the past 13 years of civil war until today.

How big a deal is it now that the rebels have Hama?

ANDREW TABLER, Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy: It's a huge deal.

Pushing further south, the rebel forces are now into what's called the spine of the country.

It really is where the two parts of Syria, the neck and the base of Syria connect, and that's why it's strategically important.

JOHN YANG: Andrew Tabler is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute and the former director for Syria at the National Security Council's Middle East Affairs Directorate during the first Trump administration.

ANDREW TABLER: What this, at a minimum, will do is, it's causing a major contraction, probably the biggest contraction since Russia entered the conflict in 2015.

Most likely, it will lead to a different configuration of the de facto partition of Syria, which has been in place for well over a decade.

And whatever American administration decides to do, the incoming Trump administration, will have to deal with that.

JOHN YANG: Russia and Iran have long had a stake in the Syrian civil war and have steadfastly supported Assad's regime.

But now their support is waning at a crucial time.

ANDREW TABLER: The most important thing that turned the tide here was Iran's weakening over the last year following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

That has distracted Iran, has depleted it.

There are different questions about why Russia is not intervening more forcefully.

So either they don't want to or they can't because they're busy elsewhere in Ukraine and overstretched, as the Iranians are.

JOHN YANG: The capture of Hama comes as part of the opposition's lightning-fast offensive down Northwestern Syria.

They're now just 25 miles from Homs, Syria's third largest city and the opposition's next target.

ANDREW TABLER: Homs would be a game changer.

It is the literal heart and the center of Syria.

And so the capture of Homs would be a major -- would actually put Damascus in jeopardy.

And I think it would cause a real panic among the regime.

JOHN YANG: And so the battle for Syria and its future continues.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm John Yang.