Abu Mohammad al-Julani[19] (Tahrir al-Sham military chief) Capt. Abu Taleb al-Hasan[20] (Army of Victory commander) Abu Mahmoud[21] (Army of Victory commander) Col. Mustafa Bakeware[22] (Free Idlib Army senior commander) Col. Abdul Hamid Zakaria[23] (Free Idlib Army commander) Killed:
Abu Ahed †[24] (Tahrir al-Sham commander) Abu Al-Fateh †[25] (Tahrir al-Sham commander) Muhammad Al-Taayshi †[26] (Tahrir al-Sham elite forces commander) Ali Ahmad Al-Abboud †[27] (Ajnad al-Sham commander) Abd Al-Hameed Al-Hudairy †[25] (Army of Victory commander) Jumaa Al-Khaled †[28] (Army of Glory commander) Saher Saleh †[29] (Army of Glory senior commander) Mohammed Jallad †[29] (Army of Glory senior commander) (Free Idlib Army commander) Ameen al-Biori †[30] (Free Idlib Army top commander) Ahmad Al-Rammah abu Ibrahim †[28] (Commander-in-chief of the Central Division)
TheHama offensive (March–April 2017) was amilitary offensive launched by Syrian rebel groups led byHay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) north of the city ofHama, as part of theSyrian Civil War. The offensive began on 21 March 2017, and the rebels aimed to recapture areas recaptured by theSyrian Armed Forces in the2016 Hama offensive, as well as pushing intoHama city.[63][64][65] The offensive was coordinated with rebel forces inDamascus' eastern suburbs, who launched theirown operation in March 2017.[2] Though the rebels had some initial success, reaching the outskirts of Hama, these gains were stopped and eventually reversed by Syrian government counter-attacks, which by the end of April had recaptured all of the territory lost the previous month.
Rebelrocket artillery bombards government positions during the offensive.
On 21 March 2017, the rebel offensivecode-named the "Battle of Tell Them to Work"[66] was launched when two Tahrir al-Shamsuicide bombers detonated two largecar bombs against government positions in the town ofSuran. Rebel forces led by Tahrir al-Sham then proceeded to attack Suran and the nearby villages ofMaardis andMa'an. The rebels captured the three villages by 22 March,[67] but this was denied byHezbollah.[63] The pro-opposition activist group theSOHR confirmed the rebel capture of Suran and parts of Maardis.[68] The village ofKhitab was also captured.[47] According an SAA Tiger Force commander, there were about 6,000 HTS and allied militants involved in the offensive.[53] In response to the rebel offensive, the Syrian Army sent reinforcements to the northern Hama frontline.[42][69] The rebels aimed to captureJabal Zayn al-Abidin and attack theHama Military Airport, and reportedly advanced to within 7 kilometers of Hama city.[21]
On 23 March, rebels captured the villages ofKawkab and Iskandariyah, stormedMaardis, and cut off the road linkingMahardah to Hama. The advances that day brought HTS-led forces within 5 kilometers of Hama city.[70] Pro-government al-Masdar News claimed that the rebels carried out a massacre ofAlawites in the village ofal-Majdal, killing up to 30 of them.[61] According to an opposition source, Sham FM radio reported that this was denied by Mohaled Hazzouri, the governor of Hama.[71] Later that day, the Syrian Army recaptured Kawkab.[72][73] Al-Masdar News also reported that Khattab and one other village were recaptured amid an ongoing counter-offensive.[74]
Syrian Army repels Ahrar al-Sham-led offensive on Kernaz
On 24 March, six rebel factions led byAhrar 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 captureKarnaz.[4][75] However, after managing to initially capture three villages, the rebels were forced to retreat due to heavy artillery shelling.[76][77]
Rebel attack on Qomhana and Syrian Army advance near Mahardah
On 24 March, the rebels attacked the town of Qomhana, north of Hama.[78] Following an attack by three suicide car-bombers, the rebels managed to penetrate the town's defenses and heavy fighting ensued inside it.[79] However, the rebel attack was eventually repelled after the Army encircled the rebels inside Qomhana and cleared them out.[80] The same day, the Syrian Army recaptured the village of Shayzar, near Mahardah.[81][82]
On 25 March, on the Maarzaf front, fighters of theArmy of Glory used aBGM-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.[83] Elsewhere, the rebels started a new attack on Qomhana, which also involved a suicide bombing.[84] Kawkab was once again captured by the rebels for several hours,[85] before the Army retook it once again,[86][87][84] as well as Tall al Abadi hill south of Maardes.[88]
On 26 March, after a new morning rebel attack was repelled on Qomhana's western flank,[89] 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.[90] 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.[91] 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.[92]
On 27 March, the Army recaptured a village south of Mahardah.[93][94] The military also reportedly seized the Mahardah bridge, reaching the outskirts of the village of Arzeh.[95]
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,[96] Al-Sakhir village and the nearby grain silos near Kernaz.[97] However, the attack was eventually repelled later in the day, as the Syrian Army regained all the lost positions at Al-Qaramitah and Sakhir.[98] Three Syrian Army tanks were destroyed or damaged byBGM-71 TOWanti-tank missiles during the day's fighting.[99]
On 29 March, HTS-led forces captured Tal Shihah hill, south of Khitab, bringing HTS-led jihadists within 3 kilometers of Hama city.[12] Concurrently, the Army counter-attacked north of Qomhana and recaptured several positions, including Saman hill.[100][101] Later in the day, the military also recaptured Tal Shihah.[102][103] Subsequently, the Syrian army captured the strategic hilltop of Tal Bizam, north of Suran.[104] The next day, the Syrian Army captured six locations,[105] including the town ofArzah and Point 50, to the south west ofQomhana and south of Khitab.[106][107] Meanwhile, another rebel attack on the northwestern front was repelled.[108] 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 ofnausea,agitation,foaming, musclespasm, andmiosis (constriction of the pupil of the eye); cardiac arrest occurred in two of the victims[109] and anorthopedic doctor died.[110]
On 31 March, the Syrian army recapturedKhitab 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.[111][112][14]
Back-and-forth fighting and the Syrian Army reaches Suran
On 3 April, the Syrian Army recaptured the town ofMaardis, along with the nearby silos and hills. Subsequently, they shifted their assault and reclaimed the village of Iskanderiyah and Maardis bridge.[113] A government aircraft was reported to carry out a chlorine gas attack onAl-Habit, injuring dozens and killing two children.[114][115][116] The next day, the rebels counter-attacked against Maardis and recaptured it after more than nine hours of heavy fighting.[117] The initial rebel assault involved three suicide car-bombers, according to pro-government sources.[118] The town ofKhan Shaykoun was reported to have been struck by anairstrike by government forces followed by massive civilian chemical poisoning.[119][120] The release of a toxic gas, which includedsarin, or a similar substance,[121] killed at least 89 people and injured more than 541, according to the opposition Idlib Health Directorate.[122][123][124] The attack was the deadliestuse of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war since theGhouta chemical attack in 2013.[125]
On 5 April, Maardis was once again contested,[126] although by the afternoon the rebels managed to push back government forces and retain control of the town.[127] Subsequently, a rebel suicide car-bomber attacked the government-held hill of Tall Abadah, 1,500 meters southeast of Maardis, reportedly immobilizing a tank.[128] At the same time, the Army captured a checkpoint nearHalfaya and managed to penetrate the town from the west.[129] However, the rebels regained the lost ground at Halfaya later in the day, while also recapturing Iskandariyah.[26]
On 7 April, around noon, the rebels advanced and captured several positions south of Maardis.[130] However, this turned out to be a trap set up by the Army with dozens of rebel reported killed. After several hours of clashes, the military recaptured the positions they had lost, in addition to Iskandariyah which they attacked from two flanks.[131] Three days later, government troops recaptured Maardis as well.[132][133] Fighting continued on 11 April, as the Army seized the “Russian Regiment” base, south of Suran.[134]
On 14 April, the military launched an attack toward Halfaya, capturing several checkpoints south of the town. At the same time, the Army shelled rebel positions around Suran andTaybat al-Imam.[135] However, despite these initial advances, the Army was eventually pushed back from Halfaya after suffering heavy casualties. Two tanks were also captured by the rebels.[136]
On 16 April, following over 40 air-strikes against rebel supply lines the previous night,[137] the Syrian Army recaptured Suran after 10 hours of intense fighting, thus reversing all rebel gains during the offensive.[15][138][139] Several hours later, the rebels fired more than 40 Grad rockets towards Hama Military Airport, destroying a MIG-23 fighter jet and several large ammo depots.[140]
Army push into rebel territory; Taybat al-Imam and Halfaya captured
On 17 April, the military launched an attack on Taybat al-Imam[141] and reportedly captured a checkpoint at the eastern entrance to the town.[142][143]
On 20 April, heavy fighting erupted in the areas of Taybat al-Imam and Halfaya, as government forces tried to capture both towns. Over the previous 48 hours, more than 400 air-strikes were conducted in the northern Hama countryside.[144] Eventually, government troops managed to capture Taybat al-Imam[145] and pushed further west towards Halfaya, taking a checkpoint.[17] Subsequently, the rebels launched a counter-attack and managed to recapture large parts of Taybat al-Imam.[146][147] However, after intense clashes that lasted several hours during the night, the military managed to push back the rebels and retain control of the town.[148]
On 22 April, the Army expanded the buffer zone around Taybat al-Imam with new advances.[149] The next morning, the Syrian Army captured Halfaya[150] and began operations to captureMorek.[18] These advances left government forces once again in control of all areas they had lost during the rebel'sprevious offensive in late 2016.[16]
On 24 April, the Army continued its advance north towards Al-Lataminah and Morek.[151][152] In the process, the SAA captured two or four more villages and a checkpoint,[153][154] thus reaching the outskirts ofLataminah.[155] The next day, the rebels partially recaptured Al-Massasnah in a counter-attack, before the Syrian Army regained their positions in the town the following morning, while also capturing the village of Zullaqiat, north of Halfaya.[156][157] On 28 April, rebel forces again assaulted Al-Massasnah, but their attack was eventually repelled.[158]
On 19 September 2017,Tahrir al-Sham, theTurkistan Islamic Party, and their allies launched a new offensive in northern Hama under the codename "Oh Servants of God, Be Steadfast".[159][160] The rebels initially captured four villages,[161] but after back-and-forth fighting[162] during which the villages changed hands several times,[163][164][165] government forces recaptured all of the villages by 22 September.[166] 66 rebels and 38 soldiers were killed during the offensive,[162] while more than 40 civilians were killed in nearly 500 air-strikes on about 40 towns and villages in retaliation for the rebel offensive.[167]
^"Warplanes strike near Syria's Hama as army counter-attacks".Reuters. 30 March 2017.Speaking to Reuters from Turkey, Abdallah Darwish, head of the health authority for rebel-held parts of Hama province, said air strikes in the south of Latamneh on Thursday morning had injured many people. "The bombardment had a substance that caused intense irritation, heavy foaming from the mouth, and constricting pupils", said Darwish, citing his medical staff on the ground. A chemical attack hit the same area on Saturday, killing an orthopedic doctor, Darwish added.
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Ahrar al-Sham
Free Syrian Army
Syrian Government
Iran[5][6]
Russia[7]
Hezbollah[8]
Iraqi Shia militias
Ba'ath Brigades[8]
Liwa Zainebiyoun[9]
Liwa Fatemiyoun[10]
SSNP[2]
Abu Ahed †[24]
Ali Ahmad Al-Abboud †[27]
Abd Al-Hameed Al-Hudairy †[25]
Saher Saleh †[29]
Ameen al-Biori †[30].png)
