Syrian insurgents seized control of the central city of Hama on Thursday, prompting government forces to withdraw in a major blow to President Bashar Assad. This comes just days after the insurgents captured Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, marking a significant shift in the long-standing civil war.
The rapid offensive, led by the jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, shows no signs of slowing. Their next target appears to be Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Hama. Homs is strategically critical, serving as a gateway to Damascus, Assad’s stronghold, and the coastal region that forms his core support base.
Hama, one of the few cities that had remained under government control since the conflict began in 2011, fell after a weeklong insurgent campaign. Live footage from Assi Square in Hama showed jubilant fighters firing celebratory shots into the air by sunset. This square, a focal point of massive anti-government protests in 2011, was eventually subdued by Assad’s forces. On Thursday, the Syrian army announced it had redeployed outside Hama to protect civilians.
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of HTS, declared the capture of Hama in a video message, framing the victory as “a conquering that is not vengeful, but one of mercy and compassion.” Al-Golani, whose group was once an al-Qaida affiliate known as the Nusra Front, now leads the most powerful insurgent faction in Syria.
The insurgents’ recent victories have reignited the conflict, which had settled into a stalemate in recent years. Aleppo’s sudden capture marked the first major opposition advance in the city since 2016, when Russian airstrikes helped Assad regain control. Assad has relied heavily on support from Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah to maintain power.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that opposition forces now control key infrastructure in Hama, including the police headquarters, a major airbase, and the central prison, where hundreds of detainees were released. The Observatory’s chief, Rami Abdurrahman, declared, “The process leading to the fall of the regime has started.”
Hama’s strategic significance cannot be overstated. It links Syria’s central region to the north, east, and west, and borders Latakia, a coastal province that remains a stronghold for Assad’s supporters. The city also holds historical weight as the site of the infamous 1982 massacre, when Hafez Assad, Bashar’s father, crushed a Muslim Brotherhood uprising, killing thousands.
