By Anadolu staff
The central province of Hama has completely fallen out of the Assad regime's control for the first time since the onset of the Syrian civil war, as its strategic importance began to garner attention.
The province's strategic location, with the potential to influence the course of the conflict via Homs, Latakia, and Damascus, makes Hama a crucial focal point.
Located in the western part of Syria, where the country's largest cities, dense population centers, fertile lands, access to the sea, and the capital Damascus are situated, Hama occupies a central position.
This makes it crucial for the Assad regime as it connects the north-south corridor and links the rest of the country.
The M5 highway, which originates in Aleppo and passes through Hama, extends to Homs and Damascus, connecting Syria's largest provinces.
With Hama now under the control of anti-regime armed groups, the Assad regime's connection between the capital Damascus Idlib and Aleppo has been severed.
Moreover, the potential advancement of opposition Syrian National Army forces toward Damascus poses an even greater threat to the regime.
Throughout the civil war, Hama held another layer of significance for the Syrian regime.
Due to its central location, the regime concentrated much of its military strength in this area.
Key infrastructure such as airports, weapons production facilities, and arms depots were strategically positioned between Hama and Homs.
Hama is also vital as it serves as a gateway to Latakia, the hometown of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and the country's access point to the Mediterranean.
If anti-regime forces advance from Hama to Homs, the region where Damascus is located could lose its connection to the Mediterranean.
- Hama marked by massacres
Hama has played a significant part in the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011 with popular demands for freedom and escalated when the regime responded with violent crackdowns.
Civilian populations and, in later stages, armed opposition groups, played an influential role in the area.
When civilians took part in nonviolent protests, regime forces killed thousands of them.
While armed opposition groups gained partial control of Hama’s city center during certain periods, they were unable to achieve complete dominance due to the heavily armed regime military.
However, Hama’s name became synonymous with massacres following the events of 1982.
In February 1982, then-Syrian President Hafez al-Assad launched a large-scale military operation against the Muslim Brotherhood, turning it into a massacre that claimed the lives of at least 30,000 civilians.
Additionally, no news has been heard from at least 17,000 civilians detained by the regime.
During the massacre, 88 mosques, three churches, and numerous historical artifacts were destroyed.
- Ongoing conflicts in Syria
On Nov. 30, anti-regime groups captured much of central Aleppo following a rapid advance from its western countryside.
The groups also seized the town of Khan Shaykhun, gaining near-total control of Idlib province.
The opposition group Syrian National Army, meanwhile, launched Operation Dawn of Freedom against the PKK/YPG terrorist group on Dec. 1, liberating the town of Tel Rifaat.
In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly.
The YPG is PKK's offshoot in Syria, the scene of the current fighting, and an area where the group has tried to establish a “terror corridor” along the Turkish border, with Türkiye deploying troops to prevent this and keep locals safe from terrorist oppression.
*Writing by Merve Berker