| 2013 Hama offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theSyrian civil war | |||||||
 Frontlines in Hama Governorate during the offensive. Syrian Government control Opposition control Contested For a war map of the current situation in Hama, seehere. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Free Syrian Army Al-Nusra Front |  Syrian Arab Republic | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Kassem Saadeddin[8] Fares BayoushAbu Usamah al-Maghrebi | Unknown | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8,000 fighters | 2,300 soldiers 1,000 militia | ||||||
The2013 Hama offensive was a military operation launched by Syrian rebels during theSyrian Civil War in the eastern part of the province of Hama, in an attempt to open up a new front, after rebel attacks in the governorate had stalled. The rebels managed to capture 10 villages during their offensive.[7] However, the Army soon retaliated and reversed all of the rebels gains, as well as capturing the town ofHalfaya, which the rebels captured during theirprevious offensive, five months earlier.
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On 25 April, rebel forces launched an attack in Hama city, where heavy clashes erupted for the first time in months. The rebels started this effort aimed to relieve pressure on their forces under attack from government troops in other sectors of the frontline.[9] The next day, clashes occurred in the neighborhood of Tariq Halab between the Army and the rebels. Video footage emerged of several soldiers being burned alive in an armored vehicle.[10]
On 10 May, a cease-fire agreement between government and rebel forces in Halfaya broke down. Heavy shelling of the town started in which 25 people were reportedly killed.[11] Government forces tightened the siege on Halfaya and the town of Aqrab, shutting down communications in the area. The shelling of Halfaya and Aqrab was seen as preparation to storm the towns.[12]
On 17 May, rebels captured fourAlawite villages in the eastern part of Hama province. The villages were abandoned by its residents days before the rebels arrived. The villages in question wereTulaysiyah, Zoghbe, Shaata and Balil. Their takeover followed several weeks of fighting after which the Army withdrew from the area.[13]
On 19 May, the Syrian Army took control ofHalfaya after rebel forces retreated from the town. The takeover was reportedly followed with the burning of homes by government troops[14] and the execution of 15 people by pro-government militias, according to the opposition.[15]
On 23 May, rebels reportedly took control of three more villages in the eastern part of the province.[16]
On 24 May, government forces raided the town of Ma'arzaf,[17] and two days later captured the village of Rihya.[18]
Following fierce fighting, the Syrian Army managed to recapture the two Alawite villages of Tulaysiyah and Janineh on 1 June.[19][20] The next day, they additionally recaptured the Alawite village of Zoghbe, after the withdrawal of rebel forces, according toSOHR.[21]
By 3 June, the Army had captured 13 villages in Hama province during their offensive, including the ones captured by the rebels earlier in the operation, according to state TV and SOHR.[2][22]
According to the Syrian news agency SANA, by 10 June, the Syrian military captured six more villages in eastern Hama.[4] Three days later, the capture of three of those six villages, as well as one other, was confirmed by SOHR.[3]
At dawn on 13 June, rebels seized an Army position on the northern edge of the town ofMorek, in fighting that killed six soldiers and two rebels. Later in the day, the Army shelled the base and sent reinforcements in an attempt to recapture the post.[23][24][25]
On 14 June, fighting took place in the village of Um Meil, to the east ofSalamiyah, with the Army capturing the village.[5] The next day, after fierce fighting, the Syrian Army took control of the towns ofRasm al-Abd andRasm al-Awabed,[6] southeast of Salamiyah.[26]
On 7 July, the Syrian Army captured the town ofHayalin.[27]
