Terrorist Groups Advance as Syrian Army Retreats from Hama
The Syrian defense ministry reported increased fighting in the past 24 hours, with terrorist groups successfully breaching the city’s defenses.
The Syrian army confirmed its withdrawal from Hama, a key city now under the control of Sunni Islamist terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda branch.
After intense clashes over two days, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad lost control of Hama in central Syria, a city that had remained government-held throughout the civil war.
HTS may now set its sights on Homs, Syria’s third-largest city located 25 miles farther south. Homs controls the road to Damascus and the supply route from the coast, crucial for receiving weapons and food from Russia and Iran.
Most Western countries and Russia designate HTS as a terrorist group. Formed from Jabhat al-Nusra, HTS traces its origins back to al-Qaeda in Syria.
The defense ministry noted heightened fighting in the past 24 hours, with terrorist groups breaching the city’s defenses despite suffering heavy losses.
“In order to protect the civilians of Hama and avoid urban battles, military units associated with it have relocated outside the city,” the statement explained.
‘Invaded by Terrorist Organizations’
However, the army’s general command pledged to continue its duty of reclaiming territories occupied by terrorist organizations.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani announced the capture of Hama in a video message shared on social media, describing it as a conquest driven by mercy and compassion.
Despite reports of atrocities, including videos of Syrian soldiers being executed after capture, al-Gobani seems mindful of allaying the fears of Syrians traumatized by ISIS during its control of eastern Syria.
UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that after fierce fighting, HTS seized control of Hama, the nearby air base, and the central prison, releasing hundreds of detainees.
SOHR’s chief, Rami Abdurrahman, suggested, “If Hama falls, it means that the regime’s downfall has begun.”
Assad succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, as president and Ba’ath Party leader in 2000.
Assads Have Ruled Since 1970s
Hafez al-Assad presided over Syria with an iron fist since the early 1970s, brutally suppressing a Muslim Brotherhood uprising in Homs in 1982.
The Assad regime, dominated by Alawite elites, is considered heretical by Sunni Islamist groups like HTS.
HTS seems to collaborate with the Turkish-backed Syrian national army controlling much of the border with Turkey.
Assad suffered a setback when Aleppo, a historic trade center, fell over the weekend despite Russian distractions in Ukraine.
An undated image of a poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) and his late father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria. Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images
In 2016, Russian airstrikes helped Assad reclaim Aleppo after a brief loss.
Iran and Hezbollah support the Assad regime, facing setbacks in clashes with Israel following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
He forecasted the Iranian regime’s impending failure and end.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
