Syrian rebels advance on Hama as government forces launch counterattack | Syrian military news

Rebel groups in northwestern Syria say they are pushing towards the city of Hama after taking control of nearby Aleppo in lightning offensive which started last week.

Sunday's attempted southern advance comes on the fifth day of a surprise rebel offensive, as Syrian and Russian forces launched counterattacks, reportedly hitting opposition-held Idlib province and Aleppo with airstrikes since Saturday.

Government forces under the control of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are also strengthening the northern province of Hama, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. He reported that overnight the army had pushed back opposition fighters in the northern province. Forces there are being supplied with heavy equipment and rocket launchers, according to SANA.

On Sunday, the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called on all parties to the conflict to immediately seek a political solution.

“Recent events pose serious risks to civilians and have serious implications for regional and international peace and security,” he said.

The fighting marks the most significant turnaround in years in Syria's war, which began with popular uprisings across the country in 2011. From 2020 thus far, the front lines have been largely at a standstill with an array of rebel groups largely confined to a small part of Idlib province.

But on Friday, opposition fighters led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) introduced Aleppo, prompting government forces to withdraw from the strategically important city of more than 2 million people.

Since then, the rebels have achieved several strategic victories, including the capture of the supply city of Hansir, the Aleppo Industrial City, the Aleppo Military Academy and the Field Artillery College.

Formerly known as al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, HTS has distanced itself from the group while becoming the strongest opposition movement in northwestern Syria.

It is still considered a “terrorist” organization by the United States, Syria and Russia.

Push to Hama

In his first public comments since the beginning of the offensivereleased late Saturday, al-Assad said his forces would continue to defend “the stability and territorial integrity of the government against terrorists and their supporters.”

He said Syria is capable of defeating rebel groups no matter how much their attacks intensify.

But reporting from the Turkey-Syria border, Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu said rebel forces remained on the outskirts of Hama and were “trying to counter Syrian government forces there”.

“The villages, the towns that are captured by the opposition, sometimes the Syrian government forces take them back,” she said. “So there is an exchange of (control). It's still very dynamic, very erratic on the pitch.”

The government said airstrikes in opposition-held areas targeted weapons depots and rebel strongholds.

However, the UK-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Russian strikes hit camps for displaced people on Sunday, killing eight civilians and wounding 50.

The Syrian Civil Defense, which operates in opposition-held areas, also reported a series of attacks on Aleppo, including the Aleppo University Hospital in the city center. It is not yet clear if there are any casualties.

Years of war in Syria have created one of the world's biggest displacement crises, with thousands of people reported to have been displaced in the latest fighting.

Scorched Earth Fears

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Razan Safor, a British-Syrian human rights activist with family in Aleppo, said that while there was relative stability in Aleppo, there was fear of a backlash from the government and Russian forces.

Russia's military intervention in the country beginning in 2015, as well as Iran's intervention two years earlier, helped turn the tide of the war in al-Assad's favor. Russia's aerial bombardment of Aleppo helped government forces take full control of the city in 2016.

“We are talking about rebel groups that are capturing Syrian territory at a very, very fast pace, but at the same time they have no air defenses,” she said.

“And when we saw this happening (before), … the al-Assad regime, Russia and their ally Iran responded with a scorched earth policy.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was due to travel to Damascus on Sunday, telling reporters that Tehran would support al-Assad.

King Abdullah II of Jordan and President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also expressed solidarity with Al-Assad in recent talks with him.

Still, Safoor said that in addition to the confusion and fear, there is also a sense of anticipation among some Aleppo residents who have lived for years under government control.

“We're very worried, but we're also very excited and very hopeful to see what's next,” she said.