you're associated fellow at the royal united surface services institute. that was samuel romani does give you some more context on why the syrian oppositions capture of hama is so important. the city is strategically located. it's 200 kilometers north of the capitol, damascus. it's a 130 kilometers south of a level series, 2nd largest city. it is considered crucial to syrian government forces as a buffer against attacks on damascus. it also borders with pack a coastal region controlled by the assad government and home to a strategic russian airbase, hama has long been a hubbub opposition against the assad government in 2011. it hosted some of the biggest protests of the syrian uprising which were met with violent crackdowns. and in 1982, it was the site of a brutal massacre up to 40000 people were killed during an uprising against the current president's father hafez assad. while it has been relatively quiet since 2012, how much remains a symbol of off addition resistance? house is there a correspondence? so have, i'll fall off is in a square in the heart