Syria: Opposition Factions Reach Hama’s Outskirts from Multiple Fronts

Anti-government fighters pose for a picture at the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on December 3, 2024. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
Anti-government fighters pose for a picture at the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on December 3, 2024. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
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Syria: Opposition Factions Reach Hama’s Outskirts from Multiple Fronts

Anti-government fighters pose for a picture at the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on December 3, 2024. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
Anti-government fighters pose for a picture at the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on December 3, 2024. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)

Opposition factions in northwest Syria have reached the outskirts of Hama, advancing from several directions, an opposition leader, Hassan Abdel Ghani, said on Tuesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported heavy fighting in northern Hama province, a key region linking Aleppo to Damascus. Russian and Syrian warplanes have launched dozens of airstrikes on opposition positions.

Opposition fighters have captured several areas, the Observatory said.

An AFP photographer saw abandoned tanks and vehicles left by Syrian forces on roads near Hama. The Syrian army has sent reinforcements to slow the opposition's advance, which has intensified over the past two days.

An opposition fighter, Abu Al-Huda Al-Sourani, said they are pushing towards Hama after securing nearby towns. On Monday, opposition fighters shelled the city, killing six civilians, the Observatory reported.

Abdel Ghani said earlier that the Syrian army is facing “major collapses” as the opposiont makes progress near Hama.

Hama city and nearby areas are seeing a massive exodus as intense battles continue between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), its allied factions, and Syrian government forces.

HTS and its allies, under the “Deterring Aggression” operation, captured several towns in northern Hama, including Taybat al-Imam, Halfaya, Souran, and Maardas, after heavy clashes and government airstrikes.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said dozens of families fled western Hama villages like Joreen and Shatha toward Latakia. Others left northern Hama areas and parts of Hama city, seeking safety in Homs or southern villages.

This surge in violence comes as Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, fell out of government control for the first time since 2011, with HTS and Turkish-backed factions taking over most of it.

The Observatory reported 571 deaths, including 98 civilians, since fighting escalated on November 27. The UN said more than 48,500 people, mostly children, have fled Idlib and northern Aleppo in recent days.

 



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.