Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghany said in a social media post on Thursday that his forces have entered the city of Hama, a strategically vital position south of the previous insurgent conquest, Aleppo. The rebels appeared to control much of the city by Thursday afternoon.
The rebel offensive reached Hama on Tuesday, engaging in heavy combat with the Syrian army and its Iran-backed militia allies. Syrian state media insisted the attack on Hama was repelled, but Syrian media said the same about Aleppo until rebel occupation of the city could no longer be denied, and there was soon little doubt that insurgents were in control of the city.
Hama is a major milestone for the insurgency because the regime of Bashar Assad kept it under control throughout the entire Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011. The civil war arguably began in Hama when Assad brutally suppressed protests against his rule, but rebels were never before able to capture the city.
Conquering Hama would put the insurgents about a third of the way to reaching the capital, Damascus. The next major stop on the way to Damascus would be the crossroads city of Homs.
Hama is also important because it lies near three major minority populations: the Christians of Muhrada, the Ismaili Muslims of Salamiya, and the Alawites.
The Ismaili are a small sect of Shia Islam that was brutalized by the Islamic State. The Alawites are the Shiite sect from which Bashar Assad and much of the Syrian ruling elite hail.
The insurgent offensive is led by Hayat Tharir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadi offshoot of al-Qaeda. HTS leaders have promised to protect religious minorities in conquered territory, but there is not much faith in their promises. They might prove especially hostile to Assad’s Alawites, who are a major source of political support for the dictator. Christian leaders are already sounding alarms about the dangers facing Syria’s Christian community.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani declared on Thursday that Hama was fully under the control of rebel forces. Footage broadcast by Al Jazeera News showed rebel forces moving freely through Hama and speaking with civilian residents.
Al Jazeera reported that a “significant” number of Hama residents fled after rebels penetrated the city. The report also said the insurgents have captured the military airport in Hama, which has been used by the Syrian military to launch airstrikes against rebel forces.
Julani issued a statement warning Iran-backed Iraqi militias, sent into Syria to support the Assad regime, to stay away from Hama. The rebel leader advised Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sundai to “keep Iraq away from entering into the flames of a new war tied to what is happening in Syria.”
The Syrian army admitted later on Thursday it had withdrawn its forces from the city to “preserve civilian lives and prevent urban combat,” but claimed it was preparing to launch a counterattack.
“I think it’s going to be very hard for the Russians and the Syrians to be able and regain momentum immediately, because now that the opposition is gaining control of Hama, they’re going to be launching a major offensive on Homs,” Royal United Services Institute associate fellow Samuel Ramani told Al Jazeera.
“If Homs is taken, Damascus is under serious threat,” he added.
“At the moment, we are closely monitoring what is happening in Syria. We are in constant dialogue with our Syrian friends, with Damascus,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
“Depending on the assessment of the situation, we will be able to talk about the degree of assistance that is needed by the Syrian authorities to cope with the militants and eliminate this threat,” Peskov said.