Smoke from fighting on the edge of Hama, Syria, December 3, Omar Album/AP Hide caption
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Omar Album/AP
Syrian rebel forces have invaded the strategic city of Hama.
Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad said they had redeployed outside the city along the main road south through the city of Homs and into the capital Damascus.
The new attacks come after rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), designated a terrorist organization by the United States due to past ties to al-Qaeda, have since severed ties with al-Qaeda. I was disappointed. In Aleppo, a blitzkrieg operation took the regime by surprise.
Last week’s events ended a years-long stalemate that had led many observers to believe that Assad’s regime had won the civil war that erupted in 2011.
Hama has been one of the few Syrian cities fully under government control since the outbreak of the civil war.
It is also a supply route used by Iran to transport weapons to its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.
Violent clashes broke out in Hama’s eastern suburbs, but Syrian state media denied that rebel forces had fully overran the city.
However, the Syrian army issued a statement that seemed to confirm the fall of Hama, saying that “military forces stationed there have been redeployed and relocated outside the city” to “protect civilian lives.” ” he said.
If the rebels fully capture Hama, it would be the biggest victory for them since they launched a shocking offensive last week to seize Aleppo.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
