An anti-government fighters shoots into the air in Hama, a day after rebels captured the central-west city, on December 6, 2024. In little over a week, the offensive by rebel forces has seen Syria's second city Aleppo and strategically located Hama fall from President Bashar al-Assad's control for the first time since the civil war began in 2011. (Photo by Mohammed AL-RIFAI / AFP)