BEIRUT – Syrian rebels overran Hama on Thursday, forcing government troops to retreat from the strategic city center and dealing a painful blow to President Bashar al-Assad.
The takeover of Hama follows the rebels' capture of Aleppo, Syria's industrial hub, last week. That lightning offensive ended a years-long standoff between Assad's government and the opposition, which had vowed to oust him since 2011.
In recent days, army troops have advanced into Hama to blunt the rebel momentum. But by Wednesday, so-called “terror groups” were able to penetrate the city from several sides.
In a statement, the army said it had repositioned itself outside the city “to protect the lives of civilians.”
Hours later, a rebel spokesman, Maj. Hassan Abdul Ghani, declared Hama “fully liberated.” The rebels seized police headquarters and several military airports, as well as several neighboring villages. According to pro-government and pro-rebel activists, they have surrounded several army units in rural areas.
Leading the rebel offensive is Hayat Tahrir al Sham, a former al-Qaeda affiliate that cut ties with the group in 2016 and controls parts of northwest Syria. They are joined by Turkish-backed rebel groups operating in the north.
Opposition activists and fighters posted videos on social media showing their entry into Hama. Other images showed prisoners joyfully leaving the city's central prison after the rebels took power. The government had detained tens of thousands of people – estimated at well over 100,000 – in what human rights groups describe as gulag-like conditions.
The opposition's success calls into question the outcome of a war that Assad appeared to have won until last week. In eight days, the rebels stormed through territory they first captured in 2012 and which took the government years to recapture – with support from Iran and Russia.
Abandoned Syrian army vehicles line a street on Tuesday as opposition insurgents control the outskirts of Hama.
(Ghaith Alsayed/Associated Press)
The victory over Hama, which is under opposition control for the first time, gives the rebels access to a key transport hub connecting the center of the country with the north and Mediterranean coast, where Assad's support is strongest.
There is also symbolism. Hama is infamous for the 1982 massacre, when President Hafez Assad – Bashar Assad's father – ordered his troops to crush a Muslim Brotherhood uprising, destroying two-thirds of the city and killing tens of thousands of people.
The rebels are now setting their sights on Homs, the central province that saw some of the fiercest fighting of the civil war.
The setback comes at an inopportune time for Assad, as his two main allies are grappling with crises elsewhere. Russia is distracted by Ukraine and unable or unwilling to commit significant military resources, while Iran and Hezbollah are still suffering from Israel's campaign against the Lebanese militant group.