Hama

Statue of Former Syrian President Toppled in Hama Amid Cheering Crowd

The image is particularly symbolic: A statue of former President Hafez al-Assad, the father of Syria's current ruler Bashar, was toppled in Hama after Islamist-led rebels overran the country's fourth-largest city, a video authenticated by AFP showed. A machine's long mechanical arm tipped the towering statue over to cheers and cries of "Allahu ...

Syrian Rebels Capture Strategic City of Hama, Vow to Target Homs Next

Islamist-led rebel forces captured the central Syrian city of Hama on Thursday, days after seizing the country's commercial hub Aleppo in a lightning offensive against President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Rebel forces spokesman Hassan Abdel Ghani was quick to announce on Telegram that, after the fall of Hama, Homs was now the new target of ...

Syrian Army Admits Loss of Key City of Hama

The Syrian army has now conceded that it has lost control of the key city of Hama, following reports that rebel fighters had entered the city and seized control of a prison. This concession comes after the Syrian army previously said there was no truth to reports rebels had entered any city district and that its forces remained stationed around ...

Syrian Government Launches Counteroffensive Against Rebels

A Syrian war monitor said Wednesday that government forces have launched a counteroffensive near Hama, pushing back Islamist-led rebels seeking to advance on the key central city. Hama was a bastion of opposition to the government of President Bashar al-Assad early in the country's civil war, which erupted in 2011. It was also the scene of a ...

Islamist-Led Rebels Battle Syrian Troops and Advance in Hama

Islamist-led rebels battled army troops on Tuesday as they advanced towards the city of Hama in central Syria, a war monitor said. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies fought some of the "most violent" clashes with troops in the area since launching a lightning offensive last week, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. Since ...