Syrian opposition factions have entered the city of Hama for the first time since 2013, marking an event that did not escalate to a level of control over the city at that time.

The Military Operations Administration of the Syrian opposition factions involved in the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation announced significant progress on various fronts in the outskirts of Hama and Aleppo, amid a collapse in the ranks of the regime forces and their withdrawal.

Enab Baladi‘s reporter in Hama confirmed the entry of the opposition factions into the city of Hama on Saturday, November 30.

Social media platforms circulated video recordings, one of which showed the withdrawal of large convoys of regime forces from within the city of Hama from a balcony.

Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani from the Military Operations Administration said, “In the coming hours, we promise our people that we will bring them news that will warm their hearts, God willing.”

On Saturday, the fourth day of the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation, which began early Wednesday, the opposition factions achieved progress over vast areas in northwestern Syria. After entering the city of Aleppo on Friday evening, the factions seized control of the Aleppo International Airport today.

Hama is the second largest city that the opposition factions have entered within less than 48 hours, after Aleppo, and it is one of the most prominent cities that witnessed peaceful popular protests since the beginning of the revolution in 2011.

The city’s demonstrations drew significant international attention at that time, prompting the American and French ambassadors to visit on June 8, 2011, to observe one of the protests demanding the overthrow of the regime and the departure of Bashar al-Assad from power.

Biden administration surprised

Today, a US official stated that the operation recently launched by the Syrian opposition factions, which resulted in their control over vast areas of northwestern Syria, surprised President Joe Biden’s administration.

The American site “Axios” reported, citing an unnamed source, that the United States was not involved in the attack.

Since early Wednesday, the opposition factions announced the start of a military operation dubbed “Deterrence of Aggression” in response to the regime forces’ repeated shelling of areas in northwestern Syria, aiming to expand the “safe areas” in preparation for the return of displaced persons.

Factions in the Aleppo countryside also began the “Dawn of Freedom” battle, through which they gained control over areas in the Aleppo countryside to expand the territory now under the opposition’s control.

For its part, the Syrian regime has intensified its targeting and airstrikes on northwestern Syria. One of the most prominent of today’s strikes was air raids on the al-Furqan neighborhood in central Aleppo, resulting in casualties and injuries, with no official toll reported, according to an Enab Baladi reporter in Aleppo.

The reporter noted that aircraft had not left the skies over Aleppo since morning; however, they began intensive bombing at noon, with strikes occurring close together, while the streets of Aleppo remained empty in conjunction with the curfew imposed by the Military Operations Administration.