Syrian Rebels Have Captured The City Of Hama, Toppling A Statue Of President Bashar Al-Assad’s Father
Hama holds both strategic and symbolic significance for the opposition as it was where an estimated at least 10,000 to 40,000 people were killed by the government in 1982.
After taking control of Syria's second largest city of Aleppo in a surprise offensive just a week ago, Syrian rebels have captured a second strategic city from President Bashar Al-Assad's regime.
Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the shock advance on Aleppo on Nov. 27, said it had taken full control of Hama, one of Syria's biggest cities, on Thursday, Dec. 5.
The Syrian military said it had withdrawn from Hama after rebels “penetrated several parts of the city," which is located about 110 kilometers (70 miles) south of Aleppo, according to CNN.
The lightning rebel advance was the biggest challenge to al-Assad's regime, which has been in a civil war with rebels since 2011, in years.
As of Nov. 30, HTS and allied factions had seized most of Aleppo, with Syrian's military saying it had temporarily withdrawn from the city and that its troops are regrouping and preparing a "counterattack".
Analysts say the regime was likely caught off guard by the assault as it came at a time when al-Assad's major allies – Russia and Iran – are preoccupied with their own crises, including the war in Ukraine and Hezbollah's war in Israel.
Hama holds both strategic and symbolic significance for the opposition as it was where an estimated at least 10,000 to 40,000 people were killed by the government in 1982.
Al-Assad's father, Hafez, who was the president at the time, had ordered the military to crush an Islamist uprising trying to remove the family from power.
It was one of the most brutal acts of repression in Syrian history, according to analysts and observers say, Al Jazeera reported.
In a video, HTS' leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani said his fighters had entered Hama to "cleanse the wound that has endured in Syria for 40 years", adding that they would seek "no revenge".
Videos going viral on social media showed people cheering and setting off fireworks as they toppled a statue of Hafez in Hama and dragging the statue's head through the streets of the city.
HTS fighters and allied rebels also took over Hama central prison and released prisoners.
As of Friday Dec. 6, rebels have started advancing towards the country's third largest city, Homs, which is the next city south on the highway to the capital of Damascus.
“The people of Homs, prepare yourselves,” al-Julani said in the video. “The people of Damascus, the people of Dara’a, the people of Deir al Zour. Victory for all, God willing.”
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