Hama offensive (March–April 2017)

The Hama offensive (March–April 2017) was a military offensive launched by Syrian rebel groups led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) north of the city of Hama, as part of the Syrian Civil War. The offensive began on 21 March 2017, and the rebels aimed to recapture areas recaptured by the Syrian Armed Forces in the 2016 Hama offensive, as well as pushing into Hama city. The offensive was coordinated with rebel forces in Damascus' eastern suburbs, who launched their own operation in March 2017.

The offensive

Tahrir al-Sham-led offensive south and east of Halfaya

On 21 March 2017, the rebel offensive code-named the "Battle of Tell Them to Work" was launched when two Tahrir al-Sham suicide bombers detonated two large car bombs against government positions in the town of Suran. Rebel forces led by Tahrir al-Sham then proceeded to attack Suran and the nearby villages of Maardis and Ma'an. The rebels captured the three villages by 22 March, but this was denied by Hezbollah. The pro-opposition activist group the SOHR confirmed the rebel capture of Suran and parts of Maardis. The village of Khitab was also captured. According an SAA Tiger Force commander, there were about 6,000 HTS and allied militants involved in the offensive. In response to the rebel offensive, the Syrian Army sent reinforcements to the northern Hama frontline. The rebels aimed to capture Jabal Zayn al-Abidin and attack the Hama Military Airport, and reportedly advanced to within 7 kilometers of Hama city.

On 23 March, rebels captured the villages of Kawkab and Iskandariyah, stormed Maardis, and cut off the road linking Mahardah to Hama. The advances that day brought HTS-led forces within 5 kilometers of Hama city. Pro-government al-Masdar News claimed that the rebels carried out a massacre of Alawites in the village of al-Majdal, killing up to 30 of them. According to an opposition source, Sham FM radio reported that this was denied by Mohaled Hazzouri, the governor of Hama. Later that day, the Syrian Army recaptured Kawkab. Al-Masdar News also reported that Khattab and one other village were recaptured amid an ongoing counter-offensive.

Syrian Army repels Ahrar al-Sham-led offensive on Kernaz

On 24 March, six rebel factions led by Ahrar al-Sham launched a separate offensive, code-named the "Echo of the Levant", on the northwestern front of Hama, with the goal to surround and capture Karnaz. However, after managing to initially capture three villages, the rebels were forced to retreat due to heavy artillery shelling.

Rebel attack on Qomhana and Syrian Army advance near Mahardah

On 24 March, the rebels attacked the town of Qomhana, north of Hama. Following an attack by three suicide car-bombers, the rebels managed to penetrate the town's defenses and heavy fighting ensued inside it. However, the rebel attack was eventually repelled after the Army encircled the rebels inside Qomhana and cleared them out. The same day, the Syrian Army recaptured the village of Shayzar, near Mahardah.

On 25 March, on the Maarzaf front, fighters of the Army of Glory used a BGM-71 TOW missile against a group of Syrian Army soldiers, scoring a direct hit. They claimed to had killed over 150 soldiers; however, sources on the ground gave a count of between 14 and 20 casualties. Elsewhere, the rebels started a new attack on Qomhana, which also involved a suicide bombing. Kawkab was once again captured by the rebels for several hours, before the Army retook it once again, as well as Tall al Abadi hill south of Maardes.

On 26 March, after a new morning rebel attack was repelled on Qomhana's western flank, the HTS rebels withdrew their forces to the cemetery area outside the town. The Syrian Army then attacked the cemetery area, overrunning HTS positions that afternoon. Subsequently, the Army captured the nearby hilltop of Tal Al-Sammam and its three checkpoints. They then started preparing to enter Khitab, which was reportedly empty but still not safe due to the large presence of rebels around the village. In the evening, HTS-led forces launched another three-hour rebel assault on Qomhana. Despite the rebels initially managing to penetrate the Syrian Army's first defense line on the town's northern flank, Army reinforcements from the east and the west reportedly managed to besiege the rebel forces in Qomhana's north, killing a large number of them, and forcing the rest to retreat.

On 27 March, the Army recaptured a village south of Mahardah. The military also reportedly seized the Mahardah bridge, reaching the outskirts of the village of Arzeh.

Second Ahrar al-Sham-led attack repelled

On 28 March, the rebels launched a new assault on two flanks north of Mahardah, capturing the Al-Qaramitah area. They also seized Tall Al-Sakhr hill, Al-Sakhir village and the nearby grain silos near Kernaz. However, the attack was eventually repelled later in the day, as the Syrian Army regained all the lost positions at Al-Qaramitah and Sakhir. Three Syrian Army tanks were destroyed or damaged by BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles during the day's fighting.

Syrian Army counterattack and rebels pushed back

On 29 March, HTS-led forces captured Tal Shihah hill, south of Khitab, bringing HTS-led jihadists within 3 kilometers of Hama city. Concurrently, the Army counter-attacked north of Qomhana and recaptured several positions, including Saman hill. Later in the day, the military also recaptured Tal Shihah. Subsequently, the Syrian army captured the strategic hilltop of Tal Bizam, north of Suran. The next day, the Syrian Army captured six locations, including the town of Arzah and Point 50, to the south west of Qomhana and south of Khitab. Meanwhile, another rebel attack on the northwestern front was repelled. On 30 March, a government airstrike hit al-Lataminah. More than 70 people in the area were then exposed to an unidentified chemical agent and showed symptoms of nausea, agitation, foaming, muscle spasm, and miosis (constriction of the pupil of the eye); cardiac arrest occurred in two of the victims and an orthopedic doctor died.

On 31 March, the Syrian army recaptured Khitab and five other villages along with several hills and checkpoints. They also reopened the Hama-Mhardheh highway and pushed back the rebels to positions 11 kilometers from Hama Military Airport.

Back-and-forth fighting and the Syrian Army reaches Suran

On 3 April, the Syrian Army recaptured the town of Maardis, along with the nearby silos and hills. Subsequently, they shifted their assault and reclaimed the village of Iskanderiyah and Maardis bridge. A government aircraft was reported to carry out a chlorine gas attack on Al-Habit, injuring dozens and killing two children. The next day, the rebels counter-attacked against Maardis and recaptured it after more than nine hours of heavy fighting. The initial rebel assault involved three suicide car-bombers, according to pro-government sources. The town of Khan Shaykoun was reported to have been struck by an airstrike by government forces followed by massive civilian chemical poisoning. The release of a toxic gas, which included sarin

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases