Syrian opposition forces enter the key city of Hama, in a new blow to Assad's regime

Caption

Smoke from fighting billows in the edges of the town of Hama, Syria, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024. / AP

Syrian opposition forces have entered the strategic central city of Hama.

The Syrian army, loyal to President Bashar Assad, said it had redeployed outside the city, which lies on the main highway south leading to the city of Homs and then to the capital Damascus.

The renewed offensive came after the rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) — listed by the U.S. as a terrorist organization for its past links to al-Qaida, though it has since cut ties with the group — took Syria's second city of Aleppo in a lightning campaign that caught the regime off guard.

The events of the past week have ended years of stalemate that had led many observers to believe the Assad regime had won the civil war, which broke out in 2011.

Hama has been one of Syria's few cities completely under government control since the civil war broke out.

It's also a supply route used by Iran to move arms to its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Violent clashes broke out on the eastern outskirts of Hama, but Syria's state-run media denied that the insurgents had completely breached the city.

However, the Syrian Army issued a statement that appeared to confirm the fall of Hama, saying that "military units stationed there have been redeployed and repositioned outside the city" in order to "preserve the lives of civilians."

If the rebel forces capture Hama fully, it would be a major victory for them since they launched a shock offensive last week which saw them take Aleppo.

This is a developing story and will be updated.