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The Syrian rebels managed to push pro-government forces out of the important city of Hama and gradually take control of it.
The Guardian and Reuters reported this.
According to Reuters, the Syrian army announced that the rebels entered Hama after intense clashes and stated that they are redeploying outside the city.
The rebels claimed to have taken over areas in the northeast of the city. The Al Jazeera channel showed footage of the rebels in the city.
Earlier, it was reported that they had surrounded the city of Hama.
Literally, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said: “The rebels have surrounded the city of Hama from three sides and are now three to four kilometers away from it.”
The publication emphasizes that Hama is located in central Syria. This city is crucial for Bashar al-Assad’s army when it comes to defending the capital and the seat of power—Damascus.
“Fighting around Hama began after a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels, who within days seized significant territories from the president’s control, primarily Syria’s second city, Aleppo,” writes The Guardian.
It is reported that the fighting around Hama was particularly fierce.
The SOHR, based in the UK and relying on a network of sources in Syria, stated that the government forces “have only one exit left towards Homs in the south.”
Assad ordered a 50% salary increase for regular soldiers in an effort to strengthen defense.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that government forces had mobilized “large military convoys to Hama” and its outskirts over the past 24 hours.
The SOHR claims that “dozens of trucks with tanks, weapons, ammunition, and soldiers” headed to the city, while “regime forces and pro-government militants led by Russian and Iranian officers repelled an attack northwest of Hama.”
The rebels launched the offensive on November 27—the same day a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon came into effect.
The publication emphasizes that both Hezbollah and Russia have been key supporters of Assad’s government but have recently become bogged down in their own conflicts.
On December 4, the UN stated that 115,000 people were “forced to leave their homes in Idlib and northern Aleppo” as a result of the fighting.
According to the Observatory, the escalation of the conflict has resulted in 704 deaths, mostly combatants, as well as 110 civilians.
Background events:
- On November 30, Syrian military confirmed that rebels entered the city of Aleppo.
- On the same day, Reuters sources reported that Russia promised Assad additional military assistance to counter the rebels.
- On December 1, Russian and Syrian aircraft intensified bombings of rebel-held northwestern Syria, causing destruction to civilian infrastructure.
- On December 3, anti-government armed groups in Syria approached the city of Hama.
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