Following a jihadist offensive, government forces announced their withdrawal from Hama on Thursday.
Online footage shows Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants entering Hama after government forces abandoned the city. The Syrian military stated that after intense fighting, they retreated to protect civilians. The military claims the militants suffered significant losses during their advance.
Video posted online Friday shows numerous HTS vehicles—the group formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra—moving through Hama’s streets. Gunfire is audible in the background as militants appear to celebrate their takeover. The footage includes an abandoned government armored vehicle and a destroyed military truck. Some residents are seen cheering and waving to the militants.
Hama, a city of nearly one million, holds a strategic location on the Aleppo-Damascus highway, approximately 200km north of Damascus and 50km from Homs.
The terrorists launched their attack from Idlib last week, surprising the Syrian military and quickly seizing Aleppo, while also making advances elsewhere.
The Russian military, supporting Damascus since 2015, reported airstrikes on HTS positions, claiming hundreds of militants were killed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow is assessing Syria’s needs in response to the offensive.
The UN reported approximately 280,000 displaced people since the offensive began. Samer AbdelJaber of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that the number of refugees could reach 1.5 million.