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The Syrian Armed Forces have carried out a successfull counter-attack against jihadists in northern Hama, recapturing the towns of Kawkab and Abdin and the strategic hill south of Muardes.
At the same time, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies failed to seize the loyalist stronghold of Qamhana. The Qamhana is an important government defense site. Over 1,000 local fighters serving in the Tiger Forces are reportedly deployed in the area.
If HTS-led forces are not able to capture this strategic village located less than 2 km from Hama, their chances to reach the provincial capital will be minimal.
“Moderate rebels” from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) provide support to al-Qaeda-linked HTS targeting government militar equipment with US-supllied anti-tank missiles. These US-supplied weapons have played an important role sincce the start of the militant advance in the province.
The FSA’s Jaish Al-Izza targeted a T-72 tank on Mahardeh road with a TOW missile:
While another TOW missile targeted an 37mm artillery vehicle belonging to the Syrian Army:
Meanwhile, Russian warplanes targeted militant ammunition depots and command centers in the areas of Idlib, Jisr al-Shughour and Jabal al-Zawiyah. It is expected that the number of Russian and Syrian airstrikes will increase ahead of the Syrian army counter-attack.
