syrian rebels press major assault near hama
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Syrian rebels press major assault near Hama

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice Syrian rebels press major assault near Hama

Tahrir al-Sham rebel fighters running with their weapons
Beirut - Arab Today

Syrian rebels advanced to within a few kilometers of the government-held city of Hama on Wednesday in a major assault in the western region of Syria critically important to President Bashar al-Assad, a war monitor reported.

The offensive, spearheaded by Islamist militants, was launched on Tuesday after an attack in the capital Damascus, where heavy fighting persists, showing the lingering threat posed by rebels even as Assad enjoys the military upper hand.

The Hama offensive also includes Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels who had agreed to a truce in December brokered by Russia and Turkey, underlining the bleak prospects for UN-backed peace talks that are due to reconvene in Geneva on Thursday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the latest rebel advance on Hama. The Syrian army could not immediately be reached for comment.

A Syrian military source told Reuters the army was sending reinforcements against the rebel thrust, adding that the insurgents had mobilized large numbers for the assault. 

More fronts 
A rebel commander told pro-opposition Orient TV that insurgents planned to open yet more fronts.

The Observatory, a Britain-based war monitor, said insurgents had captured the towns of Soran, 20 km north of Hama, Khattab, 10 km northwest of Hama, and al-Majdal, 6 km west of Khattab.

The assault on Soran began on Tuesday with two suicide bombers being deployed in addition to rockets and artillery.

The areas of Hama province targeted in the latest assault form part of Syria's pivotal western region where Assad has shored up his rule during the six-year-long war with crucial military support from Russia and Iran.

“There are fierce battles between the two sides,” the military source said.

The attack is being led by Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of Islamist factions dominated by a group that was formerly al-Qaeda's official affiliate in the Syrian war.

“The battle - praise God - has been prepared for a long time and all capacities have been prepared for it so that we can wage a long battle,” an FSA commander identified as a lieutenant in the Ezza Army group told Orient TV.

The rebels have been on the backfoot since Russia deployed its air force to Syria in 2015 to bolster Assad. They suffered their worst setback of the six-year war in December when government forces seized eastern Aleppo from the opposition.

Syrian government forces, supported by Iranian-backed militias, have been pressing their military edge despite the December truce, winning back more areas including one near Damascus that is the source of the capital's water supply. 

Damascus assault  
The escalation in Hama province follows two rebel assaults on government-held areas in Jobar in Damascus, launched by opposition fighters from Eastern Ghouta, an opposition stronghold east of the capital.

State media said on Wednesday the army was waging fierce clashes with insurgents in northern Jobar and that the air force was pounding insurgents and their supply lines in the area.

The Ezza Army commander said the rebel attack in Hama was coordinated with the one in Damascus. He also said that more attacks would be launched “in a number of other areas”.

The increase in fighting between the rebels and the army came in the run-up to new peace talks in Geneva.

But the obstacles facing peacemaking were on display last week when Turkey-backed rebel groups shunned talks in Kazakhstan aimed at firming up the December ceasefire and criticized Russia for failing to get its allies to adhere to the truce.

Source :Al Arabiya

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

syrian rebels press major assault near hama syrian rebels press major assault near hama

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

syrian rebels press major assault near hama syrian rebels press major assault near hama

 



GMT 11:03 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

No end to eyesores at Taj Mahal

GMT 10:18 2018 Thursday ,30 August

Iran incapable of closing Hormuz, Bab Al Mandeb

GMT 05:04 2024 Tuesday ,06 February

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 10:31 2014 Tuesday ,23 December

Mirages of failure: Lebanon cannot wait

GMT 10:08 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Microsoft to open 4 data centres

GMT 05:17 2024 Wednesday ,07 February

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 19:57 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Farm-fresh from Kerala to the UAE, in just one day

GMT 12:10 2016 Monday ,30 May

French Open braced for washout

GMT 22:24 2018 Monday ,08 January

Police arrest Israeli organ smuggling 'mastermind'

GMT 08:05 2017 Monday ,16 October

Cabinet Affairs Minister receives Iraqi ambassador

GMT 23:05 2017 Thursday ,25 May

Sharjah body calls for intensified

GMT 10:52 2015 Wednesday ,25 March

Sheikha Manal to host Art Exhibition

GMT 00:36 2017 Sunday ,19 March

World’s fastest free Wi-Fi at Dubai Airports

GMT 04:15 2011 Tuesday ,15 November

McGowan in Dolce&Gabbana dress

GMT 15:34 2012 Thursday ,29 November

Katy Perry announces fragrance partnership

GMT 18:31 2016 Tuesday ,05 April

Ras AL Khaimah to host young global leaders debate

GMT 14:50 2017 Wednesday ,08 November

UAE construction projects' value rises to almost Dh3T

GMT 21:05 2017 Saturday ,09 September

Pakistan among top 50 countries with high terror
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice