Retreat of Assad's Forces from Hama; Rebels Take Control of the City

The Syrian army announced on Thursday that it has retreated from the city of Hama, located in the center of the country, as rebels managed to break its defensive lines. This development is another blow to President Bashar al-Assad. The statement was released just hours after opposition fighters declared they had entered the city and were advancing towards its center. Hama is considered a strategic city in central Syria, and control over it is deemed vital for the Syrian army to defend the capital and the Assad regime. The rebels' victory in capturing Hama comes as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 'Assad regime forces and pro-government militias led by Russian and Iranian officers' were defending the city. The Syrian state news agency also reported that a military source mentioned Russian fighter jets attacking rebel positions around Hama. The Syrian army has now stated that it retreated from Hama to protect civilians and has established positions outside the city. The capture of Hama, the fourth largest city in Syria, is another blow to Bashar al-Assad's regime, which has been supported by Iran and Syria. This event occurred just days after rebels seized most areas of Aleppo, the largest city in Syria by population. The rebels' advance began with the capture of Aleppo, which had never been completely out of the control of the Assad government during over a decade of civil war. Videos released on Wednesday showed Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the leader of the Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, visiting the Aleppo citadel. The U.S. officially designated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham as a terrorist organization in 2018. The European Union, the UK, Turkey, and several other countries have also listed this group as terrorist. Although the rebels initially faced little resistance at the start of their attacks, fighting around Hama has been intense. While Bashar al-Assad is trying to strengthen his army for a counter-offensive against the rebels, the official Syrian news agency, SANA, reported on Wednesday that he ordered a 50% increase in the salaries of Syrian soldiers. Meanwhile, Sheikh Naim Qassem, the deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah Lebanon, announced on Thursday that this Lebanese militia group, which is an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, will 'stand by Damascus.' He condemned groups that 'aim to overthrow the regime in Syria' and added: 'They cannot achieve their goals, despite what has happened in recent days. We, as Hezbollah, will be with Syria to neutralize the objectives of this aggression as much as we can.' Russia is also a key ally of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war, and its military intervention in 2015 changed the course of the war in favor of the Assad government, but the Ukraine war has limited its military resources. Blinken: The advances of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham indicate the preoccupation of Assad's supporters with other issues. The Islamic Republic of Iran has also been engaged in military skirmishes with Israel following the outbreak of the Gaza war and then Lebanon. The Chinese embassy issued an urgent statement on Thursday urging its citizens to 'leave Syria as soon as possible.' The Chinese embassy emphasized that staying in Syria may involve 'very high security risks and delays in receiving assistance.' Despite the closer ties between Russia and Iran to the Assad government in recent years, relations between China and Syria have also strengthened. In 2023, the Chinese President and Bashar al-Assad announced a 'strategic partnership' between the two countries. Israeli intelligence officials report the potential collapse of Syrian army forces. Axios news reported on Thursday that Israeli intelligence officials have stated that the defensive lines of the Syrian army are collapsing faster than expected. Rebels have recently captured the city of Hama, and according to this report, after controlling Aleppo, the fall of Damascus seems more likely than ever. An American official also confirmed to Axios that Syrian army forces are not effectively resisting, and this situation represents the most serious challenge to the Assad regime in the past decade. Israel, Egypt, and Jordan have expressed their concerns about developments in Syria and the possibility of major changes in the country to the United States. The American official also told Axios that Israel has warned that the fall of Assad could lead to the dominance of radical Islamist groups in Israel's neighborhood or an increased presence of Iranian forces in Syria to counter the Syrian rebels. Iran and Hezbollah have so far played a key role in maintaining Bashar al-Assad's power, but his potential defeat could create new security challenges for Israel, including dealing with Islamist forces and Iran-linked groups in the region. The 50% increase in Assad's military salaries, 'temporary tolerance' of rebels towards minorities. The Guardian reported on Thursday that the Syrian army's counter-offensive has not achieved its objectives for the regime in maintaining control of Hama, and while the rebels advance, government forces now have only one exit route from Hama towards Homs province. SANA, the official Syrian news agency, reported on Wednesday that by Bashar al-Assad's order, the salaries of military personnel and soldiers have increased by 50%. This appears to be a strategy to strengthen military forces for a counter-offensive against the rebels, but videos released on Syrian social media show dozens of tanks and military vehicles of the Syrian army abandoned on the road between Aleppo and Hama, with soldiers fleeing to save their lives. German news also reported that Anas al-Kharboutli, a prominent Syrian photographer and award-winning photojournalist who collaborated with this news agency, was killed near Hama on Wednesday. The news agency referred to his 'tireless commitment' and his striking and commendable images. According to the Washington Post, al-Kharboutli, who also collaborated with this newspaper, lost both of his legs in airstrikes by the Syrian army on the front lines of Hama in areas under rebel control while photographing the fighter jets, and later died on the way to the hospital. The Washington Post added that 'Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham' on Wednesday urged Alawites in Hama to 'separate themselves from the Bashar al-Assad government.' Deutsche Welle reported that the rebels 'promised not to oppress minorities in the areas they control.' Krisi Stein-Kamp, an associate professor at Oxford University, told Deutsche Welle that the rebels assured minorities in Aleppo that they would not be oppressors and guaranteed their peaceful coexistence with Muslims. Jerome Drevon, an analyst on Salafi groups at the International Crisis Group, who has met with commanders of 'Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham,' stated that this group has shown a 'change of approach' towards minorities, and their commanders met with Christian representatives when controlling Idlib in previous years, allowing them to celebrate their religious holidays such as Easter or Christmas, and the rights of Christians in Idlib have 'improved significantly' in recent years. Al-Qaeda or Jabhat al-Nusra, which were the original roots of 'Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham,' used to behead Christians and minorities and committed widespread atrocities against them. Guido Steinberg, a Middle East analyst, told the German site Tagesschau this week that despite the apparent recent tolerance, the realities do not change regarding Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's treatment of Christians and minorities, and many individuals in the ranks of this group still support violent actions as before, and it remains to be seen how their 'reign of terror' will manifest against Christians and Kurds in Aleppo. Muqtada al-Sadr calls for Iraq to stay away from the war in Syria. Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential Iraqi Shia cleric, called on his country on Thursday to stay away from the conflicts in Syria that began with the rapid advance of rebels last week. Sadr emphasized the 'necessity of non-interference by the government, people, parties, militias, and security forces of Iraq in the Syrian issue' in a post on the social media platform 'X' and urged the government to 'punish all those who violate security.' Meanwhile, according to official Iraqi media, Fuad Hussein, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, will meet with his Syrian and Iranian counterparts on Friday to discuss the situation in Syria. Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh arrived in Baghdad on Thursday, and the Iranian Foreign Minister is expected to arrive in Iraq on Friday. Iraqi and Syrian sources have reported that some Iraqi forces have entered Syria to support Assad. Additionally, Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces have been deployed at the border with Syria, stating that the aim of this action is to prevent the spread of conflicts into Iraqi territory. Macron's stance against Bashar al-Assad. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, emphasized at the end of a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia in an exclusive interview with Al-Nahar news network that the future of Syria requires more than normalizing relations with Bashar al-Assad. He stated that Assad cannot simultaneously represent Iran and act against the security of Israel and the stability of Lebanon. Mr. Macron pointed to the challenges of the return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon and controlling the Syrian-Lebanese borders to prevent Hezbollah from being rearmed by Iran, stating: 'Normalizing relations with the Syrian regime is not a solution in itself.' He stressed that the people of Syria need unity and hope, and the regime must create conditions for the safe return of refugees. The French president added that he has discussed this matter with his European and Arab counterparts, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is also negotiating with the Syrian regime to provide necessary responses.