Syrian rebel forces arrived at the gates of the key city of Hama on Tuesday, as their fighting with the military sparked "a large wave of displacement", a war monitor said. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Aaron Y. Zelin, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He says that rebels from the HTS group have undergone “professionalisation” of their military and aim to recreate a conservative Islamist proto-state, rather than focusing on "global jihad".

Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English

Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en