Syrian insurgents have made significant advances in their push towards the central city of Hama, capturing four new towns early Tuesday. Led by the salafi jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Turkey-backed opposition fighters, the insurgents are now approximately 10 kilometers away from Hama, the country's fourth largest city.
This latest offensive is part of a broader campaign by forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad. In recent days, these forces have seized large portions of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, as well as various towns and villages in the northwestern Idlib province.
The insurgents' military operations administration reported that 50 government forces were killed during the capture of the central towns of Halfaya, Taybat al-Imam, Maardis, and Soran. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the takeover of these towns.
Meanwhile, pro-government media outlets have reported intense clashes in the area, with Syrian troops engaging insurgents through artillery fire. Syrian and Russian air forces have also conducted airstrikes in the region.
On the government side, Syrian forces managed to recapture the village of Khanaser, which they had lost days earlier. Khanaser is strategically located on a road leading to Aleppo.
The conflict in Syria, which has been ongoing for the past 13 years, has resulted in an estimated half-million deaths. In a separate development, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces claimed to have captured seven villages from pro-government fighters, a claim denied by Syrian state media.
Turkey's Foreign Minister emphasized the need for Assad to engage in dialogue with the opposition in light of the insurgents' recent gains. However, Assad's government maintains that all armed groups in opposition-held areas are terrorists and has rejected political negotiations with them.
As Turkey seeks to normalize relations with Syria for security reasons and the repatriation of Syrian refugees, Assad has insisted on the withdrawal of Turkish military forces from northern Syria as a precondition for any potential reconciliation between the two countries.
