Opposition factions have started entering the neighborhoods of the city of Hama, after taking control of villages, towns, and cities surrounding the city.
On Thursday, December 5, the commander of the Military Operations Administration, Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani, stated that the forces began to infiltrate the city of Hama, engaging in fierce battles with regime forces within the city’s neighborhoods.
Abdul Ghani added that the factions have made advances from several fronts within the city of Hama and towards its center.
The factions have made significant progress in the past two days on several fronts within the administrative borders of Hama province after seizing the city of Aleppo and the entire administrative border of Idlib province since the start of Operation “Deterrence of Aggression.”
In the early hours of November 27, the factions launched a military operation called “Deterrence of Aggression,” in response to the regime’s repeated shelling of areas in northwestern Syria. They stated that their aim is to expand the “safe areas” in preparation for the return of displaced people.
On Tuesday, December 3, the factions took control of the cities of Suran, Mardas, and Taybat al-Imam north of Hama, then advanced and took control of villages and towns in the northern, eastern, and western countryside of Hama.
By Wednesday, the factions reached the western and eastern outskirts of the city of Hama and announced their control over the School of Mechanized Vehicles, which was one of the strongholds of the 25th Division and the 87th Brigade.
The Syrian official news agency (SANA) reported on Wednesday about moving the opposition factions away from the city of Hama by 20 kilometers.
However, the Military Operations Administration stated that the regime forces are trying to boost the morale of their soldiers by spreading rumors claiming they have regained some positions in Hama’s countryside, affirming that all the sites controlled by the factions remain under their control.
On Wednesday, the factions managed to capture five members of Iranian militias in the town of Maar Shohur east of Hama, including two of Afghan nationality, in addition to three members from the 25th Division.
The Red Bands Brigades, which are the elite forces in the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), killed more than 50 members of the regime forces on the Khattab front north of Hama city, according to the Military Operations Administration.
On the outskirts of Hama
The opposition factions had reached the city of Hama on Saturday and then withdrew from it after the Syrian regime gathered its forces in the city.
Following video recordings and information about the entry of opposition fighters onto the outskirts of Hama city, residents from the city told Enab Baladi that the Syrian regime had assembled forces from various formations in the city on the evening of Saturday, November 30.
Residents spoke about the lack of presence of opposition factions within the main neighborhoods of the city, in contrast to the rapid progress that occurred in Aleppo city on Friday.
They confirmed that video recordings published by activists loyal to the Syrian regime showed the gathering of its forces inside the city of Hama, amidst threats of combat.