Assad will force the rebels to maneuver east of Hama. Turkish backed rebels may be able to establish a caliphate in central and northwest Syria. They'll be boxed in by Assad's regime and Kurds.
Posted on 12/04/2024 4:08:04 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
Syrian rebel forces were on Wednesday within six miles of the central city of Hama, a city freighted with past horrors for antigovernment forces.
Syria’s fourth-largest city might represent an even more significant fillip than the sudden capture last week of Aleppo — the country’s most populous city — in the civil war's most significant offensive in years and one that could dramatically shift the balance of the country's conflict.
Despite the map of Syria having been repeatedly redrawn since 2011, Hama has never been in rebel hands. Insurgents and Turkey-backed fighters opposed to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were under 10 miles from the city, according to the Associated Press.
Lt. Col. Hassan Abdul-Ghani, a senior rebel commander, denied government claims that they his fighters near the city had been repelled.
"We want to confirm that all the areas we have captured are still under our control, and progress is continuing," he said via WhatsApp.
NBC News was unable to confirm claims by either side because independent journalism is very difficult in Syria, due to the rapid changes in territory held by different groups and repression from the official government.
Hama was the site of the Assad regime’s bloody crackdown on protestors in 2011 and was also the scene of widespread destruction in 1982. Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims were killed there at the order of the current president’s brother and predecessor Hafez al-Assad.
While Syria’s civil war has raged for almost 14 years, it had dropped from the spotlight in the years since 2020, when the war’s front-lines became frozen.
That was before last week’s shock seizure of Aleppo in a push led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
Yeah, it’s rough neighborhood.
I’m still not sure which side the military-industrial complex is backing in this endless conflict. Maybe the answer is “all of them.”
Hafez the father, not the brother of Bashar, was president in 1982 when the Hama massacre occurred. He made Saddam in Iraq look like a boy scout.
Probably.
No one is crying over dictator Assad getting hit. Nor are all rebels islamist. But the worry is what if there is a vacuum, and who is going to fill it.
NBC is part of the CIA directed Mockingbird Media.
The brother was Bassel, who was the eldest son, and heir apparent to Father Hafez. Bassel was the strongman type, who took part in crushing opposition.
After older brother Bassel was killed, Bashar was pulled back from being an eye doctor in London, as the spare heir.
I think he may have concluded that he is protecting his tribe and if he was seen as weak, they'll get wiped out.
If the rebels make it down the main highway toward Damascus, through the cities of Hama and Homs, then the Alawite (the minority Shi’ite sect of the Assad ruling elite) stronghold of Latakia would be cut off from the rest of Syria. Along with it would be Russia’s big Airbase (Hmeimim) and Naval Base (Tartus).
Kill those CIA/Mossad backed terrorists.
Assad will force the rebels to maneuver east of Hama. Turkish backed rebels may be able to establish a caliphate in central and northwest Syria. They'll be boxed in by Assad's regime and Kurds.
ah, NBC signaling their position.
Christians occupy Alleppo. That’s the rub...
However many are left...
Captogen factories, and control of distribution. The slimes are cheap drug peddlers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.