“MASSIVE BLOW”
Aron Lund, a fellow of the Century Worldwide suppose tank, known as the lack of Hama “an enormous, huge blow to the Syrian authorities” as a result of the military ought to have had a bonus there to reverse insurgent features “they usually could not do it”.
He mentioned HTS would now attempt to push on in the direction of Syria’s third largest metropolis, Homs, some 40km to the south, the place many residents had been already leaving on Thursday, pictures on social media confirmed.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman reported a mass exodus from the town of members of Assad’s Alawite minority group.
He mentioned tens of 1000’s had been heading in the direction of areas alongside Syria’s Mediterranean coast, the place the Alawites, followers of an offshoot of Shiite Islam, kind the bulk.
“We’re afraid and anxious that what occurred in Hama shall be repeated in Homs,” mentioned a civil servant, who gave his title solely as Abbas.
“We concern they (the rebels) will take revenge on us,” the 33-year-old mentioned.
Till final week, the struggle in Syria had been mostly dormant for years, but analysts have said it was bound to resume because it was by no means actually resolved.
UN chief Antonio Guterres mentioned the flare-up displays “the bitter fruits of a persistent collective failure of earlier de-escalation preparations”.
In a video posted on-line, HTS chief Abu Mohammed al-Jolani mentioned his fighters had entered Hama to “cleanse the wound that has endured in Syria for 40 years”, referring to a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in 1982, which led to 1000’s of deaths.
“I ask God almighty that it’s a conquest with no revenge,” he added.
In a later message on Telegram congratulating “the folks of Hama on their victory,” he used his actual title, Ahmed al-Sharaa, as a substitute of his nom de guerre for the primary time.
