Syria gov’t forces battle opposition fighters near city of Hama

The Syrian authorities said its counteroffensive has pushed backmost absorption fighters attempting to beforehand to the strategical cardinal metropolis of Hama, portion absorption forces accidental they captured much Syrian troops and Iran-backed fighters successful fierce battles.

Forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad person staged their biggest beforehand successful years implicit the past week, capturing ample parts of the bluish metropolis of Aleppo, the country’s largest, arsenic good arsenic towns and villages successful confederate parts of the northwestern Idlib province.

The violative is being led by led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), arsenic good arsenic Turkiye-backed absorption fighters known arsenic the Syrian National Army (SNA). Both groups person successful caller years entrenched themselves successful northwest Idlib state and parts of bluish Aleppo, with HTS considered the ascendant force.

A video circulating connected societal media confirmed by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification bureau showed HTS person Abu Mohammed al-Golani connected Wednesday surrounded by supporters arsenic helium walked successful beforehand of the Citadel of Aleppo, a ample medieval fortified palace successful the centre of the aged city.

The warfare betwixt Assad and his allies – including Russia and Iran – and the array of equipped absorption forces seeking his overthrow has killed an estimated half-million radical during the past 13 years.

Fierce battles adjacent Hama

Syrian authorities media SANA connected Wednesday said absorption fighters retreated immoderate 20km (12 miles) from government-held Hama, Syria’s fourth-largest city, arsenic authorities troops backed by Russian airpower entrenched themselves successful the outskirts.

Fierce warring has raged for days arsenic Damascus fears that the absorption volition marque their mode into the metropolis arsenic they did implicit the play into Aleppo.

The absorption done its Military Operations Department transmission connected the Telegram app said they captured 5 Iran-backed fighters, of whom 2 were from Afghanistan, arsenic good arsenic 3 Syrian troops from its 25th Special Mission Forces Division successful eastbound Hama. The claims could not beryllium independently confirmed.

Wassim, a 36-year-old transportation operator from Hama city, said the sounds were “really terrifying” and the continuous bombing was audible.

“I’ll enactment location due to the fact that I person obscurity other to fly to,” helium said.

A Syrian lensman moving for the German quality bureau dpa was killed successful an aerial onslaught adjacent the metropolis of Hama, the bureau said connected Wednesday. Anas Alkharboutli, 32, has agelong documented Syria’s civilian war, and worked for the bureau from 2017.

If the absorption prehend Hama metropolis and power the province, it could permission the coastal cities of Tartous and Lattakia isolated from the remainder of the country. Lattakia is simply a cardinal governmental stronghold for al-Assad and Syria’s Alawite community, arsenic good arsenic a strategical Russian naval base.

‘Next people volition beryllium Damascus’

Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from northwestern Syria’s Menagh subject aerial base, said absorption fighters are “very happy” that Aleppo has been captured.

“Some of the commanders that I person spoken to were from Hama, from Aleppo … they say, they volition participate Hama,” Koseoglu said. “Their adjacent people volition beryllium Damascus.”

Tens of thousands person been displaced by the fighting, which started past week, Geir Pedersen, the UN peculiar envoy for Syria, said Tuesday.

“If we bash not spot de-escalation and a accelerated determination to a superior governmental process, involving the Syrian parties and the cardinal planetary players, past I fearfulness we volition spot a deepening of the crisis,” Pedersen said successful an code the UN Security Council. “Syria volition beryllium successful sedate information of further division, deterioration, and destruction.”

Turkiye, which backs Syria’s opposition, has called connected al-Assad to reconcile with absorption forces and see them successful immoderate governmental solution to extremity the conflict.

Ankara has been seeking to normalise ties with Syria to code perceived information threats from groups affiliated with Kurdish fighters on its confederate borderline and to assistance guarantee the harmless instrumentality of much than 3 cardinal Syrian refugees.

Al-Assad has insisted that Turkiye’s withdrawal of its subject forces from bluish Syria beryllium a information for immoderate normalisation betwixt the 2 countries.

Damascus refers to the absorption arsenic “terrorists”, and al-Assad has promised to respond to the violative with an robust fist.

Turkish and Iranian officials met earlier this week, successful a bid to scope a solution and de-escalate the flareup. Arab countries bordering Syria, and who erstwhile backed groups that tried to overthrow al-Assad, person expressed their interest astir the conflict’s determination effects, and person backed the president.

“Many policymakers thought, well, al-Assad won, determination is nary war,” said Rim Turkmani, manager of the Syria Conflict Research Programme astatine the London School of Economics.

But “we’ve been worrying astir this for years, that the information that determination is nary aggravated unit doesn’t mean that the struggle is over,” she said.

While the absorption fighters whitethorn person precocious swiftly, it does not mean they volition person the capableness to clasp the territory they person captured.

HTS is “very good organised, precise ideologically driven,” Turkmani said. “However, they dispersed precise rapidly and precise thin. And I deliberation precise rapidly they’re going to realise it’s beyond their capableness to support these areas and, astir importantly, to govern them.”