Hama, Syria's other major city, has been captured by the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). HTS fighters are now advancing towards the key Syrian city of Homs. They have also captured some areas of Homs. After capturing Homs, they will advance towards the capital, Damascus.
According to the news agency AFP, the Syrian Army has destroyed the highway connecting Homs and Hama by carrying out airstrikes to stop the rebels. The city of Homs is only 40 km from Hama. After the capture of Hama, people of the Shiite community living in the city of Homs have started fleeing the city.
The Russian military has fired several missiles to intercept the HTS rebels, but they have not been able to stop their advance. Following the capture of Hama, HTS commander Abu Mohammad al-Julani has delivered a message of victory.
5 footage of the capture of Hama by HTS rebels…
HTS fighters celebrating victory after conquering the city of Hama.
HTS fighters capture Syrian Army artillery in Hama.
Rebels captured the Assad government's weapons and air defense systems during their capture of Hama on December 5, 2024.
After capturing the city of Hama, the rebels toppled a statue of President Assad's father and former president Hafez al-Assad.
HTS chief said – Asad government's days of reckoning are left Julani said that their aim is to overthrow the Assad government from Syria. He gave an interview to CNN from a secret location in Syria. Julani said that despotism will end in Syria and a people's government will be elected.
He said that the Assad family has been ruling Syria for 40 years, but now the Assad government is dead. He survived for a while with the help of the Iranians. Later the Russians also helped him, but the reality is that the days of his rule are numbered.
Clashes between the army and HTS have been going on since November 27 in Syria. Rebels had earlier captured Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, on December 1. So far 826 people have been killed in this war in Syria. This is the deadliest fighting in Syria since the civil war began in 2011.
The rebel fighters were fighting for Hama for 3 days
Rebel fighters have been fighting the army for the past 3 days to capture Hama. The army alleged that the insurgents launched suicide attacks to breach the defense line. Many soldiers have been killed fighting the insurgents during this period.
Hama is the fourth largest city in Syria. Even during Syria's civil war that began in 2011, Hama was not captured by the rebels. Even then the city was under government control. In such a situation, the possession of the rebels this time is a big victory for them.
Earlier on Saturday, the rebels captured the city of Aleppo. It is the main trading center of Syria.
Rebel fighters celebrate after capturing Aleppo.
HTS became the largest organization in Syria
HTS has previously been linked to Al Qaeda. The Sunni group HTS is led by Abu Mohammad al-Julani. Julani has long been a threat to the al-Assad government.
According to reports, Al-Julani was born in 1982 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His father was a petroleum engineer there. In 1989, Julani's family returned to Syria and settled near Damascus.
Julani dropped out of his medical studies midway and joined al-Qaeda in 2003 after the American invasion of Iraq. He was close to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Al Qaeda. After Zarqawi's assassination in 2006, Julani spent time in Lebanon and Iraq.
Little is known about Julani before he joined Al Qaeda in 2003.
In 2006, Julani was arrested by the US Army in Iraq. He was released after 5 years in prison. After this he joined the Islamic State. Syria arrived in July 2011 amid protests against Assad. After this he formed Jabhat al-Nusra and waged war against the Assad government.
In 2017, al-Nusra formed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) along with several other terrorist groups. HTS is now the most powerful rebel group in Syria. The group captured Idlib before capturing Aleppo and Hama. According to reports, there are 30 thousand fighters behind this organization. America included this organization in the terrorist list in 2018.
Will the Assad regime end?
The real fighting between Assad's forces and the rebel group has yet to begin, said Ibrahim al-Asil, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC. Assad is working on an old strategy, which has worked for him in the past. Retreat first, regroup, reinforce and then counterattack.
If the rebels are to win, they must know when to stop. Assad may also use chemical weapons to stop these rebels.
Civil war started in 2011 in Syria
The civil war in Syria started in 2011 with the Arab Spring. The people of Syria started protesting against the Bashar al-Assad government that has been in power for 10 years. After this, a rebel group called 'Free Syrian Army' was formed.
A civil war broke out in Syria with the formation of a rebel group. The conflict escalated after America, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia joined. Meanwhile, the terrorist organization ISIS also spread its wings in Syria.
There have been only sporadic clashes since the 2020 ceasefire agreement. According to a United Nations report, more than 3 lakh people were killed in the decade-long civil war. Apart from this, millions of people had to be displaced.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
