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The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has succeed in organizing its defenses in the northern Hama countryside and is reportedly in the early stages of preparing for a counter-attack against militants led by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) who launched a large-scale offensive in northern Syria a day earlier.
The militants reached the northern outskirts of Hama city late on November 30 after capturing dozens of towns in the northern countryside. However, Syrian troops and local pro-government fighters managed to push them back some 12 kilometers.
As of December 1 morning, the SAA is reported to be in control of the towns of Suran, Halfaya, Taybat al-Imam and Maardis.
The military also repelled an attack by HTS and its allies on the key town of Qalaat al-Madiq, which oversees most of the al-Ghab Plains in the northwestern Hama countryside.
Meanwhile, Russian and Syria warplanes continue to target militants attempting to reach the frontline in the northern Hama countryside. Intense airstrikes also targeted many key sites of HTS and its allies deep in their strongholds in the governorate of Idlib.
While the SAA is doing well in Hama, the situation continues to deteriorate in the governorate of Aleppo, with militants solidifying their control over much of the city, expanding their control in the eastern countryside and cutting the strategic Khanaser highway to the south.
The offensive in northern Syria, codenamed Operation Deterrence of Aggression, was launched early on November 27 from the Greater Idlib region, which included at the time Idlib city and parts of the governorates countryside as well as several towns in the northern Lattakia countryside, the northwestern Hamas countryside and the western countryside of Aleppo.
The Turkish military maintains a large presence in the region. However, HTS is the de-facto ruler. The terrorist group’s offensive put an end to a ceasefire agreement that was brokered by both Russia and Turkey on March 5 of 2020.
According to Syrian state TV, HTS and its allies have lost around 1,000 militants since the beginning of the large-scale offensive.
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