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The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) repelled over the night of December 3 and 4 yet another attack by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies on the city of Hama.
The militants have been attempting to capture the key city since at least November 29, in the framework of their large-scale offensive in northwestern Syria, codenamed Operation Deterrence of Aggression.
Late on December 3, the militants managed to reach the northern outskirts of the city after capturing the towns of Maar Shahour and Kafraa. However, they failed to storm the strategic Zayn al-Abidin mount or break through SAA defenses in the town of Qamhana.
The SAA, backed by local fighters, launched a counter-attack early on December 4, recapturing both Maar Shahour and Kafraa.
Later in the morning, Syrian state TV reported that the army had pushed the militants some 20 kilometers away from Hama city in some directions. The success of the army’s limited counter-attack was confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based pro-opposition monitoring group.
Also overnight, dozens of Russian and Syrian airstrikes hit targets of HTS and its allies all the way from the northern and northwestern Hama countryside to the southern countryside of Idlib. Some 11 drones were also shot down over Hama by Syrian air defenses.
According to Syrian state TV, HTS and its allies have lost some 1,600 militants since the start of their offensive in northwestern Syria on November 27.
These losses are unlikely to deter the militants, who will likely launch more attacks against Hama city in the upcoming few hours. However, their chances of success are getting slimmer as the SAA is building better defenses and bringing in more reinforcements.
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