An anti-government fighter shields his ears as a multi-barrel rocket launcher fires against regime forces in the northern outskirts of Syria's west-central city of Hama on December 4, 2024. – AFP

Syrian rebels encircled the key central city of Hama 'from three sides' on Wednesday, according to a war monitor, despite a counteroffensive by government forces to retain control. Hama's strategic location in central Syria is crucial for the army in safeguarding the capital, Damascus. The fighting follows a rapid offensive by Islamist-led rebels who, in just days, seized large territories, most notably Syria's second city, Aleppo, from President Bashar al-Assad's control. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the rebels are now within three to four kilometers of Hama city. Government forces were left with only one exit towards Homs to the south.

The rebels' success was largely due to the takeover of Aleppo, which had never fully fallen out of government hands in over a decade of war. The head of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, visited Aleppo's landmark citadel on Wednesday. In Hama, 36-year-old delivery driver Wassim described the sounds of continuous bombing as 'really terrifying' and said he had nowhere else to flee.

The fighting around Hama has been particularly fierce. Assad ordered a 50 percent raise in career soldiers' pay, as reported by state news agency SANA, to bolster his forces. A military source cited by SANA reported 'fierce battles' against rebels in northern Hama province, with joint Syrian-Russian warplanes involved. The Observatory noted that government forces brought large military convoys to Hama and its outskirts in the past 24 hours.

German news agency DPA announced the death of award-winning Syrian photographer Anas Alkharboutli in an air strike near Hama. The rebels launched their offensive on November 27, the same day a ceasefire took effect in the war between Israel and Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. Russia, Iran, and Turkey are in 'close contact' over the conflict in Syria, according to Moscow. The United Nations reported that 115,000 people have been newly displaced across Idlib and northern Aleppo by the fighting.

Human Rights Watch warned that the fighting raises concerns about civilians facing serious abuses from both opposition armed groups and the Syrian government. The war in Syria had been mostly dormant for several years, but analysts predict violence will flare up as the conflict was never truly resolved. While the rebels may have advanced swiftly, they may struggle to hold onto the territory they have captured.

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