Syrian Insurgents Capture Central City Of Hama In Severe Setback To The Syrian President | rssama.com

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian insurgents swept into nan cardinal metropolis of Hama connected Thursday and authorities forces withdrew, dealing different awesome rustle to Syrian President Bashar Assad days aft insurgents captured overmuch of Aleppo, nan country’s largest city.

The stunning weeklong violative appeared apt to continue, pinch insurgents mounting their sights connected Homs, nan country’s third-largest city. Homs, which is astir 40 kilometers (25 miles) southbound of Hama, is nan gross to nan capital, Damascus, Assad’s spot of powerfulness and nan coastal region that is simply a guidelines of support for him.

The violative is being led by nan jihadi group HTS and an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called nan Syrian National Army. Their abrupt seizure of Aleppo, an ancient business hub successful nan north, was a stunning prize for Assad’s opponents and reignited nan Syrian civilian warfare that had been mostly a stalemate for nan past fewer years.

Hama is 1 of nan fewer cities that has remained mostly nether authorities power successful nan conflict, which collapsed retired successful March 2011 pursuing a celebrated uprising.

By sunset, dozens of jubilant fighters were seen shooting successful nan aerial successful ceremony successful unrecorded footage from Hama’s Assi Square. The quadrate was nan segment of monolithic anti-government protests successful nan early days of nan uprising successful 2011, earlier information forces stormed it and sewage nan metropolis nether control.

The Syrian service connected Thursday said it redeployed from Hama and took positions extracurricular nan metropolis to protect civilians.

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, nan de facto leader of nan Syrian insurgency, announced successful a video connection that fighters had reached Hama successful a “conquering that is not vengeful, but 1 of mercy and compassion.”

Al-Golani is nan leader of nan astir powerful insurgent group successful Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which antecedently served arsenic al-Qaida’s branch successful Syria and is considered a violent group by nan United Nations arsenic good arsenic countries including nan U.S. The group that was known arsenic nan Nusra Front successful nan early years of Syria’s conflict changed its sanction and said successful caller years that it trim ties pinch al-Qaida.

Al-Golani publically toured Aleppo connected Wednesday and said astir Hama connected Thursday from an undisclosed location successful what appeared to beryllium a video filmed pinch a mobile phone.

“This is simply a monolithic triumph for nan rebels and a strategical rustle for nan (Syrian) regime,” Dareen Khalifa, a elder advisor pinch nan International Crisis Group and an master connected Syrian groups. She said nan mobility is whether nan guidance will beryllium capable to scope Homs and return complete nan area, which she said would beryllium a game-changer.

“I deliberation past we are going to person to region and see whether aliases not this authorities tin really past this war,” she added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose state supports nan guidance fighters, reiterated during a telephone telephone pinch nan U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres that nan Syrian authorities should urgently prosecute pinch its group “for a broad governmental solution.”

Guterres said successful a connection later that aft 14 years of warfare successful Syria, “it is precocious time” for each parties to prosecute earnestly successful talks to resoluteness nan conflict successful statement pinch Security Council Resolution 2254.”

That resolution, which was adopted unanimously successful December 2015, endorsed a roadworthy representation to bid successful Syria. The measurement called for a Syrian-led governmental process, starting pinch nan constitution of a transitional governing body, followed by nan drafting of a caller constitution and ending pinch U.N.-supervised elections.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights — an guidance warfare show — said aft fierce battles wrong Hama, guidance gunmen now power nan constabulary office successful nan metropolis arsenic good arsenic nan sprawling aerial guidelines and nan cardinal situation from wherever hundreds of detainees were group free.

HAMA, SYRIA - DECEMBER 5: People stitchery successful nan metropolis center, celebrating nan anti-regime equipped groups, opposing nan Bashar al-Assad authorities taking power of nan metropolis halfway of Hama, Syria connected December 5, 2024. (Photo by Bekir Kasim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Anadolu via Getty Images

“The process starring to nan autumn of nan authorities has started,” nan Observatory’s chief, Rami Abdurrahman, told The Associated Press.

Aleppo’s takeover marked nan first guidance onslaught connected nan metropolis since 2016, erstwhile a sadistic Russian aerial run retook it for Assad aft rebel forces had initially seized it. Military involution by Russia, Iran and Iranian-allied Hezbollah, and different militant groups has allowed Assad to stay successful power.

The latest flare-up successful Syria’s agelong civilian war comes arsenic Assad’s main location and world backers, Russia and Iran, are preoccupied pinch their ain wars successful Gaza, Lebanon and Ukraine. This time, location appeared to beryllium small to nary thief from his allies.

Tens of thousands of group person been displaced by nan renewed fighting, which began pinch nan astonishment guidance violative Nov. 27.

Hama is simply a awesome intersection successful Syria that links that country’s halfway pinch nan northbound arsenic good arsenic nan eastbound and west. It is astir 200 kilometers (125 miles) northbound of nan capital. Hama state besides borders nan coastal state of Latakia, a main guidelines of celebrated support for Assad.

The metropolis is known for nan 1982 massacre of Hama, 1 of nan astir notorious successful nan modern Middle East, erstwhile information forces nether Assad’s precocious father, Hafez Assad, killed thousands to crush a Muslim Brotherhood uprising.

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Associated Press writers Albert Aji successful Damascus, Syria; Sarah El Deeb successful Beirut; Suzan Faser successful Ankara, Turkey; and Edith M. Lederer astatine nan United Nations contributed to this report.

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SyriaPresident Bashar AssadSyrian National Army