Syrian insurgents have reportedly entered parts of the central city of Hama after three days of intense clashes with government forces on its outskirts. This development is part of an ongoing offensive that has also seen the insurgents seize Syria's largest city of Aleppo.
While Syrian state media confirmed violent clashes between government forces and opposition gunmen on the eastern edges of Hama city, they denied that the insurgents had breached the city. Hama has been one of the few cities that remained under full government control during Syria's conflict, making its potential capture a significant setback for President Bashar Assad.
The offensive is being led by the jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias known as the Syrian National Army. The recent capture of Aleppo, a major business hub, by these groups has reignited the conflict that had been largely stalemated for the past few years.
The capture of Aleppo marked the first opposition attack on the city since 2016 when a Russian air campaign helped Assad's forces retake it. The intervention of Russia, Iran, Iranian-allied Hezbollah, and other militant groups has played a crucial role in allowing Assad to maintain power.
The renewed fighting in Syria has led to tens of thousands of people being displaced, with the opposition claiming to have entered Hama and marching towards its center. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that gunmen have entered parts of the city, particularly the neighborhoods of Sawaaeq and Zahiriyeh to the northwest, as well as being on the edge of the northwestern neighborhood of Kazo.
Hama is a vital intersection point in Syria, linking the country's center with the north, east, and west. Located about 200 kilometers north of the capital, Damascus, Hama is strategically important as it borders the coastal province of Latakia, a key base of popular support for Assad.
The city of Hama holds historical significance, notably due to the 1982 massacre when security forces under Assad's late father, Hafez Assad, brutally suppressed a Muslim Brotherhood uprising, resulting in thousands of casualties.
