Syrian opposition announce start of offensive to capture Hama city in Syria

The Syrian opposition officially announced the launch of an offensive to capture Hama city on Thursday morning.

Unlike the situation in Aleppo, fierce clashes have broken out within the city itself as opposition forces storm key neighborhoods, according to the reports.

While clashes intensified around city center, anti-regime groups are trying to enter the neighborhoods of Mezarib and Arbain east of the center.

Russian warplanes supporting the regime also launched airstrikes on these areas.

Turkish newswire Anadolu Agency reported at 3.00 pm local time that opposition forces reached inner parts of the city.

Credible reports suggest that opposition forces released hundreds of prisoners from Hama’s central prison.

Lt. Col. Hassan Abdulghani, a commander of the Syrian opposition forces, confirmed the development in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“Our mujahideen (warriors) are engaged in fierce battles within the neighborhoods of Hama city against the criminal regime forces,” Abdulghani wrote.

“We are making progress on several fronts inside the city and advancing toward the city center,” he added.

• There are reports that the Assad regime forces’ warplanes target several airstrikes on the neighborhoods of the eastern city of Hama. Additional reports of airplanes and helicopters target several airstrikes on the neighborhoods of the eastern part of Hama.
• Reported clashes at the al-Mazareb bridge northeast of Hama, Syria

“Our forces operating in the countryside are fighting fierce battles against armed opposition groups. The Syrian-Russian joint air force, artillery and missiles are targeting opposition forces,” the Syrian Armed Forces said.

Local reports indicate that helicopters landed on the western outskirts of Hama, evacuating withdrawing officers from the city out of fear of being captured by opposition forces. The helicopters then departed to an undisclosed location.

Reports suggest a helicopter, believed to belong to Assad regime forces, was hit in the skies by opposition groups.

According to the pro-opposition source, the downed helicopter was allegedly carrying Syrian regime officers on the escape route.

Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reports that, “In order to preserve the lives of civilians in Hama and not to involve them in battles inside the cities, the military units stationed there redeployed and repositioned themselves outside the city.”

Lt. Col. Hassan Abdulghani, a commander of the Syrian opposition forces, “Hama Al-Fida; the criminal Hafez Al-Assad entered it with tanks and stole it from its people, and today we entered it with tanks and are returning it to its people.” he said and added, “We renew our call to the criminal regime forces in all military units in the city of Hama to defect, before it is too late.”

“Over the past few hours, with the intensification of confrontations between our soldiers and terrorist groups… these groups were able to breach a number of axes in the city and entered it,” a statement from the Syrian army said, adding that “military units stationed there have redeployed” outside the city.