Syrian rebels entered the city of Hama, the fourth largest city in the country

Syrian rebels have entered Hama, the fourth largest city in Syria. Russian troops announced that they were leaving the city.

This is reported by Reuters.

Representatives of the Syrian army, with which Russian troops are fighting, said that the rebels entered Hama after intense clashes. They also noted that they are relocating outside the city "to preserve the lives of civilians and prevent fighting in the city".

The insurgents said they had already entered areas in the northeast of the city and seized the central prison, freeing detainees.

Al-Jazeera TV channel broadcast images of rebels in the city, some of them meeting civilians at a roundabout, while others rode in military vehicles and mopeds, writes Reuters.

It became known about the attack of Syrian rebels on Hama a few days ago. The main goal is to cut off President Bashar al-Assadʼs forces from the key road leading to the capital Damascus.

Hama is the route from Aleppo to major hubs in the north, such as the city of Homs, the coastal ports of Latakia and Tartus, and Damascus in the south.

Hama has been controlled by the countryʼs government since the start of the civil war in 2011.

What preceded

Active clashes between the rebels and Syrian troops began on November 27. The offensive was launched by the Syrian Revolutionary Forces in "response to months of continuous attacks on civilians" by the Assad regime in Aleppo province. It was the heaviest fighting in northwest Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by opposition fighters. It is also the biggest advance by opposition fighters on the city since they were pushed out of the eastern districts in 2016.

On November 30, the Syrian Armed Forces declared a "temporary withdrawal" from Aleppo to prepare a counteroffensive against opposition groups. As early as December 1, the media reported that the Assadʼs Forces had lost control of Aleppo — for the first time since the beginning of the military conflict that began more than ten years ago.

Ukrainian intelligence says that Russian troops are suffering losses during the fighting in Syria. Against this background, the Russian Federation changed the commander of forces in the region — he became General Oleksandr Chaiko, who commanded a group of Russian troops in Syria in 2017-2019. GUR noted that it currently knows about "hundreds" of Russians who are considered missing there.

Civil war in Syria

The civil war in Syria has been going on since 2011. It began as a local confrontation, which gradually turned into an uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Over time, it involved not only the main states of the region, but also international organizations, military-political groups and other countries.

The main participants in the conflict are regular military formations that support President Bashar al-Assad, formations of the "moderate" Syrian opposition, Kurdish regionalists, as well as various terrorist groups. The parties to the conflict receive military aid from other countries: government forces are supported by Russia and Iran, while the Syrian opposition receives aid from Western countries, Turkey and the Gulf monarchies.

The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah also aided the Assad regime in the civil war and was present in Syria. However, it has now concentrated its forces in Lebanon to repel the Israeli offensive in the south of the country. During this conflict, Hezbollah lost thousands of fighters, as well as its commanders and leader Hassan Nasrallah.

As for Russiaʼs support, it has come to the aid of President Bashar Assad since 2011. Russia sent weapons to the country, which were accumulated by the Syrian troops, and also kept its own military bases with weapons there. In 2015, the Russians began fighting on the territory of Syria together with Hezbollah fighters. Now, videos and photos are being circulated on social networks, in which fighters from the Syrian opposition allegedly captured Russian military equipment, in particular machine guns and tanks.

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