A long history of confrontation with the Assad family regime.. What is the strategic importance of the city of Hama?

On the eighth day of Operation Deterrence of Aggression, the Syrian opposition's military operations department announced that it had completed control of the city of Hama after its forces successfully completed combing operations.

The Syrian armed opposition said on Thursday evening that it had finished combing Hama military airport, Jabal Zain al-Abidin, and the village of Qamhana, north of Hama, after its forces, with their various formations, entered the city of Hama following violent confrontations from several axes and met together in al-Asi Square in the city center.

What is the strategic importance of Hama city?

• Hama, or the “City of Waterwheels,” located in central Syria, is one of the most strategically important cities in the Syrian conflict. Its importance lies in its unique geographical location as a center linking the north to the coast and the capital Damascus, as well as being a major crossing between different areas of influence. Its control reflects a major shift in the balance of power, both for the Syrian opposition and the Syrian regime.
• Hama city is located in the central part of Syria, bordered to the north by Idlib and Aleppo governorates, to the northeast by Raqqa governorate, to the east and south by Homs governorate, and to the west by Latakia and Tartous governorates.
• Its area is estimated at about 8,861 km2, equivalent to about 6% of the total area of Syria, and thus it ranks seventh among the Syrian governorates in terms of area.
• In terms of population density, the most recent estimates for 2011 indicate that the governorate's population was approximately 1,628,000, although more recent statistics are not publicly available since the outbreak of armed conflict in 2012.
• Hama connects northern Syria to the capital Damascus and the coast, making it central to securing supply lines. Its proximity to Idlib and Aleppo puts it in a position to control the course of battles.
• And cutting off women's hands... pic.twitter.com/iNr6rWJJsv
  —Dr. Seham Souki (@Seham_Ita) December 5, 2024

  With the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, Hama was one of the first Syrian cities to join the revolution, and huge peaceful demonstrations emerged from it, which the Syrian government confronted with tanks and arrests.

  As the number of demonstrators increased, the Syrian army suppressed the people of Hama, began storming the homes of the residents, and launched a campaign of arrests that included hundreds. It quickly imposed a siege on the city, and by August 2011, the regular army had taken full control of it.

  The Syrian army continued to target residential neighborhoods, and committed several massacres, including what happened on April 25, 2012, when 50 civilians were killed in the poor neighborhood of Masha’ al-Tayyar, in the far south of the city, by missile shelling, and then the neighborhood was completely demolished, and 30,000 people were displaced from it.

  What does the opposition's control of Hama mean now?

  The opposition’s control of Hama gives it unprecedented military weight since 2011. Politically, it increases the negotiating ability of the factions in any peace talks sponsored by international parties. There is no doubt that the fall of the city into the hands of the opposition reflects the weakness of the Syrian regime’s grip in the central regions of the country. Moreover, control of Hama will threaten Homs and then Damascus, the center of government.

  Controlling Hama after Aleppo and Idlib is a starting point for expanding the opposition’s influence to other areas in the center and south. The Syrian regime will also lose supply lines and influence in the central regions of Syria and will no longer be able to threaten the northern regions to a large extent.

  Last updated,
  I relied on clarifying the control with the map of the governorates,
  Homs is the largest in area, but most of it is uninhabited.
  I expect it to change soon in favor of the opposition #Deter_aggression #Hama_is_liberated pic.twitter.com/9hkGoLIXvP

  — Moh. Haidari 𐩣.𐩢 (@haidari700) December 5, 2024

  The conflict over Hama remains a mirror of the balance of power in Syria, reflecting its military and political fluctuations at the local and regional levels. For Russia and Iran, the regime’s loss of Hama would mean a major crisis, given that it is a crossing point for securing the coast.

  If the opposition expands from Hama westward, it would cut off the coast from Damascus, leaving the regime with only two strongholds: Tartus and the Alawite Mountains, in addition to Damascus, which would become besieged once the opposition forces take Homs.

  Source: Yemen Youth Net + Arabi Post