Jihadists and allied rebels have nearly surrounded Hama, a strategic city in central Syria, following a rapid attack launched from the north last week. Syrian armed forces are attempting to repel the attackers.
Within a week, opposition forces unexpectedly captured most of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, and advanced toward Hama, a city of strategic importance to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, located just 200 kilometers from the capital, Damascus.
Casualties and clashes
The fighting, which has claimed at least 704 lives, including 110 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), marks the most extensive hostilities in Syria since 2020. The country has been in a civil war since 2011.
The Observatory reported that rebels had encircled Hama from “three sides,” reaching within three to four kilometers of the city after intense battles. Government forces reportedly have only one remaining escape route via Homs to the south.
Residents described the deteriorating situation. A 36-year-old driver named Wasim, living in Hama, said that the previous night had been terrifying, with continuous bombardments audible throughout the city. A 22-year-old student who had left Damascus to join her family in Hama said she had been glued to her phone, anxiously following the news since the attack began.
Government counter-attack
Government forces have launched a counter-attack with air support, deploying large military convoys to Hama and its surroundings, according to SOHR. Intense battles were reported in northern Hama province between government forces, supported by Syrian and Russian aircraft, and opposition fighters.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned of potential “serious violations” resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides have faced accusations of human rights abuses.
Journalist death
The German Press Agency confirmed the death of its award-winning photojournalist, Anas al-Harbouli, in an airstrike near Hama.
Displacement and humanitarian concerns
In Suran, 20 kilometers north of Hama, civilians fled in any available vehicles as armed rebels patrolled in trucks. Over 115,000 people have been displaced within a week, according to David Carden, assistant UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria. Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria called for urgent humanitarian aid as large numbers of displaced individuals arrived in their areas.
One displaced man, Abdo, who fled Aleppo for Tabqa in eastern Syria, described the dire conditions, saying he and his family were exhausted and struggling to cope.
International and regional reactions
Russia and Iran, key allies of Damascus, and Turkey, which supports some rebel factions, are reportedly in “close contact” to stabilise the situation, according to Russian diplomats.
The attack, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alliance—formerly the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda—ended a relative calm in northwest Syria since 2020. For the first time in the conflict, the Assad regime lost complete control of Aleppo, once the economic hub of Syria, in what observers called a major blow to the government.
HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani reportedly visited Aleppo’s citadel to celebrate the capture, with images shared on Telegram showing him greeting supporters from a car.
Assad’s response
President Assad announced a 50% salary increase for career military personnel. Since 2015, with Russian and Iranian military backing, Assad’s forces have gradually regained most of Syria, including Aleppo, which rebels had partially controlled since 2012.
Expert opinions
Rim Turkmani, a researcher at the London School of Economics, suggested that the rebels’ rapid advances might not translate into long-term control, adding that they would likely struggle to govern the areas they had seized.
US warning
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned against the resurgence of the Islamic State (IS), which declared a “caliphate” across large areas of Syria and Iraq in 2014. It took years of military efforts to defeat the group, and Blinken stressed the importance of preventing its re-emergence.
Also read: Syrian army counterattacks rebels near Hama
Source: ANA-MPA
