Syrian rebels say they've begun to enter crucial city of Hama

BAKR AL KASSEM/ AFP

Syrian rebels said on Thursday they had started pushing into Hama, a major city where pro-government forces backed by intense Russian air strikes are trying to stave off a new rebel victory and halt the lightning advance.

Rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghany posted on social media that they'd begun to penetrate Hama. State media had earlier reported that pro-government forces had repelled an attack.

Rebels have been battling to try to enter Hama since Tuesday and there was heavy fighting overnight with the Syrian army and allied groups supported by a Russian bombardment, both sides said.

The rebels took the main northern city Aleppo last week and have since pushed south from their enclave in northwest Syria, reaching a strategic hill just north of Hama on Tuesday and advancing towards the city's east and west flanks on Wednesday.

Hama has stayed in government hands throughout the civil war, which erupted in 2011 as a rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad. Its fall to a revived insurgency would send shockwaves through Damascus and its Russian and Iranian allies.

The city lies more than a third of the way from Aleppo to Damascus and its capture would open the road to a rebel advance on Homs, the main central city that functions as a crossroads connecting Syria's most populous regions.

Hama is also critical to the control of two major towns with big minority religious communities, Muhrada which is home to many Christians and Salamiya where there are many Ismaili Muslims.

More from International News

  • Gaza war toll likely significantly undercounts deaths, says study

    An official Palestinian tally of direct deaths in the Israel-Hamas war likely undercounted the number of casualties by 41 per cent through the middle of 2024 as the Gaza Strip's healthcare infrastructure unravelled, according to a study published on Thursday.

  • US House votes to sanction International Criminal Court over Israel

    The US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) to protest its issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over Israel's campaign in Gaza.

  • Musk hosts German far-right leader on X, stirs angst about election meddling

    Elon Musk urged Germans to vote for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in an upcoming election in a conversation with its leader on his social media platform X that highlighted the US billionaire's growing ambition to sway European politics.

  • At least 7 killed as LA wildfires rage

    Two massive wildfires menacing Los Angeles from the east and west were still burning uncontained on Thursday, but a brief respite from the fierce winds that have fanned the flames for two days allowed crews to slow their explosive spread.

  • Lebanon's army chief elected president

    Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who enjoys US approval and showing the diminished sway of the Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.

On Virgin Radio today

Trending on Virgin Radio