2012 Hama offensive

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2012 Hama offensive
Part of the Syrian Civil War
2012 Hama Offensive.svg
Frontlines during and following the offensive
  Syrian Government control
  Opposition control
Date16–31 December 2012
(2 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Hama Governorate, Syria
Result

Offensive stopped [1]

  • FSA fighters take control of 10 towns and villages in northern Hama
  • Halfaya massacre
  • Syrian Army counterattack recaptures several towns and villages
Belligerents

Syria-flag 1932-58 1961-63.svg Syrian National Coalition

Flag of Syria.svg Syrian Government

Commanders and leaders
Syria-flag 1932-58 1961-63.svg Yusuf Hasan Unknown
Units involved
Unknown Unknown
Strength
~1,000 fighters 2,000 soldiers [2]
Casualties and losses
132 killed [3] [4] 111 killed [3] [4]
90–200 civilians killed [5] [6]

The 2012 Hama offensive was a military operation during the Syrian Civil War launched by the Syrian opposition on 16 December 2012, with the intent of taking control of the Hama Province. The offensive was stopped after the Syrian Army launched a counter-offensive, leaving the rebels in control of only half a dozen towns and villages in the north of the province.

Contents

Background

With the Hama province largely controlled by Army Forces, the FSA launched an offensive on 16 December, to capture the province and Hama city itself and by the same time, cutting the principal supply route of the Army in Aleppo.

The offensive

The rebel military council of Hama announced the start of the offensive on 16 December, giving Syrian government troops in the province an ultimatum to surrender to the Free Syrian Army within 48 hours. [7] Within two days, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Qassem Saadeddine, a member of the Free Syrian Army military command, claimed that Syrian government troops had already been cleared from the towns of Halfaya, Kafr Nabudah, Hayalin, Hasraya, al-Lataminah, Taybat al-Imam and Kafr Zita, leaving the rebels in control of the rural western part of Hama Province, and all areas north of Hama city. [8] [9] [10] Rebels had advanced 40 kilometres (25 mi) south from Maarrat al-Nu'man and Jisr ash-Shugour, encountering little resistance. [11] It seemed that rebels had overrun Syrian Army lines north of Hama city within 48 hours. [9] Government positions in Khan Shaykhun and Mhardeh were reportedly under attack by rebel forces. [7]

The rebels also made claims of fighting inside Hama city itself, with international analysts wondering if the Syrian Army was redeployed towards Homs and Latakia. However, this was not confirmed. [9] [10]

On 19 December, according to the Local Coordination Committees (LCC), Syrian Government security forces reportedly set up checkpoints outside Hayalin, leading to doubts as to whether or not rebels had full control over the town, unlike the other places they captured in the operation. [12]

On 20 December, rebels attacked and captured parts of the town of Morek in Hama's countryside, and were surrounding the Alawite towns of Ma'an and al-Tleisa. [13]

On 23 December, the LCC and SOHR reported that up to 300 civilians were killed by bombing from warplanes in the city of Halfaya, while queuing for bread at a bakery. [14] The Syrian Government did agree that many women and children were killed, however they blamed rebel fighters who they say attacked the town. [15]

On 26 December, the Syrian Army retook control of three Alawite villages, including Ma'an, repelling the rebels who had entered them days earlier. [16]

On 29 December, six people were killed by the Syrian air force bombardment on the town of Kafr Nabudah, two of them were children. Also, one civilian was killed by the bombardment on the town of Taybat al-Imam. [17] A week later, Assad forces from Qamhana, attacked this same town. [18]

On 30 December, the Syrian Army general command announced that they took back control of the strategic town of Morek. [19]

On 31 December, Syrian Army shelling was reported on Halfaya. [20]

Aftermath

On 21 January 2013, SOHR said that a car bomb near the headquarters of a pro-government militia killed 50 people in the eastern suburbs of Hama. [21]

On 22 January, the military launched an offensive, with the aim of recapturing territory lost during the rebel advance into northern Hama. 1,500 soldiers and 100 tanks were being used in the operation, and the focus was on the town of Kernaz in Mhardeh District, where up to 1,000 rebel fighters were based. By early February, the rebels were reportedly in fear of losing Kernaz and with it Kafr Naboudeh. This would leave the military in control of the whole north of Hama, reversing all previous rebel gains. [22]

On 6 February, 54 government employees of a defense-related factory were killed in al-Buraq south of Hama city, when a mini-bus blew up at a bus stop. [23]

On 7 February, the military recaptured Kernaz, after 16 days of fighting. [24] Two days before, the Army had also regained control of the nearby town of Mughir, securing a corridor to Alawite villages in the west of the province. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kafr Zita</span> Town in Hama, Syria

Kafr Zita is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located 30 kilometers north of Hama. Nearby localities include Kafr Nabudah and al-Habit to the northwest, Khan Shaykhun to the northeast, Mork to the east, Suran to the southeast, al-Lataminah, Halfaya and Mahardah to the south, Tremseh to the southwest and Kirnaz and Hayalin. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Kafr Zita had a population of 17,052 in the 2004 census. It is also the center of a nahiyah ("subdistrict"), part of the Mhardeh District, that consists of seven localities with a combined population of 39,032 in 2004.

Halfaya is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located about 25 kilometers northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Mahardah and Shaizar to the west, al-Lataminah and Kafr Zita to the north, Taybat al-Imam and Suran to the east, Khitab and Qamhana to the southeast, Tayzin to the south and Maarzaf to the southeast. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Halfaya had a population of 21,180 in the 2004 census. It is the largest locality in the Mahardah Subdistrict, which contained 21 localities with a combined population of 80,165 in 2004.

Taybat al-Imam is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located 18 kilometers northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Halfaya and Mhardeh to the west, Lataminah to the northwest, Mork to the north, Suran to the east, Maar Shahhur to the southeast, Qamhana to the south and Khitab to the southwest. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Taybat al-Imam had a population of 24,105 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.

Hayalin is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include al-Suqaylabiyah, the administrative center of the district, to the west, Qalaat al-Madiq to the northwest, Bureij and Kirnaz to the north, al-Lataminah to the east, Shaizar, Tremseh and Safsafiyah to the southeast and Tell Salhab to the south. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of 3,913 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karnaz</span> Town in Hama, Syria

Karnaz modified from Kafr Naz ܟܦܪ ܐܢܵܫْܹܐ, is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama, its elevation rang is 220-240 meter. Nearby localities include Kafr Zita and Khan Shaykhun to the east, Kafr Nabudah to the north, Qalaat al-Madiq and al-Suqaylabiyah to the west and Kafr Hud, Tremseh, and Shaizar to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Karnaz had a population of 14,075 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims. People of Karnaz are known for openness and coexistence with other groups in Syrian society. They are living in harmony with other nearby Christian villages like Al-Suqaylabiyah and Mhardeh, as well as with nearby Alawites villages like Hurat Ammurin, Ein Elkorum and Tell Salhab to the west. This feature stands despite the complications of the Civil War after 2012.

Asilah is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located west of Hama. Nearby localities include Khunayzir and Mhardeh to the northeast, Maarzaf to the east, Umm al-Tuyur to the southeast, Deir al-Salib to the south, Hanjur to the southwest, Jubb Ramlah to the west, Tell Salhab to the northwest and Safsafiyah to the north. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Asilah had a population of 5,790 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Alawites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Lataminah</span> Town in Hama, Syria

Al-Lataminah is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located 39 kilometres (24 mi) northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Karnaz to the northwest, Kafr Zita to the north, Murik to the northeast, Suran to the east, Taybat al-Imam to the southeast, Halfaya and Mahardah to the south, Shaizar and Kafr Hud to the southwest and Hayalin and al-Suqaylabiyah to the west. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Lataminah had a population of 16,267 in the 2004 census, making it the second largest locality in the nahiyah of Kafr Zita. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Hama offensive</span> Military operation

The 2013 Hama offensive was a military operation launched by Syrian rebels during the Syrian Civil War in the eastern part of the province of Hama, in an attempt to open up a new front, after rebel attacks in the governorate had stalled. The rebels managed to capture 10 villages during their offensive. However, the Army soon retaliated and reversed all of the rebels gains, as well as capturing the town of Halfaya, which the rebels captured during their previous offensive, five months earlier.

The Battle of Morek took place during the Syrian Civil War in the Hama Governorate between the rebels and the Syrian Government. The clashes were concentrated around and in the eastern side of the town of Morek, as the Syrian Army tried to regain the town after it was lost to the rebels on 1 February 2014. The city was retaken by the rebels shortly after the collapse of the Northwestern Syria offensive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Hama offensive</span> Military operation launched by rebels in the Syrian Civil War

The 2014 Hama offensive, codenamed Ghazwat Badr al-Sham al-Kubra, was a military operation launched by Syrian rebels during the Syrian Civil War in the northern parts of Hama Governorate, in an attempt to reach the Hama Military Airport and the provincial capital of the province. It was also launched in an attempt to cut the supply line to Aleppo, especially after the rebels seized the village of Rahjan.

Major General Suhayl al-Hasan is a Syrian military officer, currently serving as the commander of the Syrian Army's Special Forces. He graduated from the Syrian Arab Air Force academy in 1991, and served in many units of the Syrian Arab Air Forces and Air Defence Command, completing several training courses. After serving in the Syrian Arab Air Force and Syrian Arab Air Defence units, he joined the Air Force Intelligence service, where he was responsible for the training of the elements of the Special Operations Section. During the Syrian Civil War, al-Hasan has served and commanded his troops during several major engagements, including Operation Canopus Star and the battle for the Shaer gas field. He is part of the new generation of field Syrian army commanders who emerged during the civil war. French newspaper Le Monde has claimed he could be a rival to Assad as leader of Syria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Southern Syria offensive</span> Military operation

The 2015 Southern Syria offensive, code-named "Operation Martyrs of Quneitra", was an offensive launched in southern Syria during the Syrian Civil War by the Syrian Arab Army, Hezbollah and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces. Government forces also include Iranian sponsored Afghani Shi'ite volunteer militias. The name "Operation Martyrs of Quneitra" refers to the January 2015 Mazraat Amal incident, in which several high level Hezbollah and IRGC members were killed in an Israeli strike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Hama offensive</span> Military operation in the Syrian Civil War

The 2015 Hama offensive was a military operation launched by Syrian rebels during the Syrian Civil War in the northern parts of Hama Governorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern Syria offensive (October–November 2015)</span> Russo-Iran-Hezbollah joint offensive in Syria

On the 7 October 2015, shortly after the start of the Russian air campaign in Syria, the Syrian government forces and its allies launched a ground offensive against anti-government positions in northwestern Syria, initially in northern Hama Governorate. The primary objective is to seal off the northern Hama border with Idlib and "build a buffer-zone around the city of Khan Sheikhoun". It has been described as the first major Syrian-Russian coordinated attack since the start of the Syrian Civil War. The offensive was extended in the subsequent days to the al-Ghab plains, between northwest Hama and southwest Idlib, as well as to the edge of the Latakia governorate.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from May to August 2016. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Hama offensive</span> 2016 offensive

The 2016 Hama offensive, codenamed as the Battle for the sake of God by the rebels, was a military offensive operation launched by Syrian rebels during the Syrian Civil War in the northern parts of Hama Governorate as an attempt to relieve pressure on rebels fighting in Aleppo city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hama offensive (March–April 2017)</span> Military offensive

The Hama offensive was a military offensive launched by Syrian rebel groups led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) north of the city of Hama, as part of the Syrian Civil War. The offensive began on 21 March 2017, and the rebels aimed to recapture areas recaptured by the Syrian Armed Forces in the 2016 Hama offensive, as well as pushing into Hama city. The offensive was coordinated with rebel forces in Damascus' eastern suburbs, who launched their own operation in March 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012–2013 escalation of the Syrian civil war</span> Part of the Syrian Civil War

The 2012–2013 escalation of the Syrian Civil War refers to the third phase of the Syrian Civil War, which gradually escalated from a UN-mediated cease fire attempt during April–May 2012 and deteriorated into radical violence, escalating the conflict level to a full-fledged civil war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern Syria offensive (April–August 2019)</span> Syrian government military operation against rebels

The 2019 northwestern Syria offensive, codenamed "Dawn of Idlib", was a military operation launched on 30 April 2019 by the Syrian Armed Forces and its allies against rebel groups in northwestern Syria during the Syrian civil war in a region known as "Greater Idlib", consisting of northwest Hama, southern Idlib and northeastern Latakia provinces. The government's main objectives were to open the M5 highway and to expel non-compliant militant groups, particularly the internationally proscribed al-Qaeda-linked group known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), from the 15–20 km demilitarized zone demarcated by Turkey and the Russian Federation at Sochi in 2018. The offensive was seen by both parties as crucial to the outcome of the war.

References

  1. ↑ "Assad still confident that he can control Syria". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Syrian troops capture Karnaz (The News Pakistan)". The News International, Pakistan. 8 February 2013. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  4. 1 2 "News". Syriahr.com.
  5. ↑ Solomon, Erika (23 December 2012). "Air strike kills dozens of Syrians waiting to buy bread". Reuters.
  6. ↑ "Air strike on Syria bakery 'kills dozens' – Middle East". Al Jazeera.
  7. 1 2 AFP (17 December 2012). "Syria's PM in first Aleppo visit since outbreak of fighting". Al-Arabiya. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  8. ↑ SOHR. "Hama Province". Facebook. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 "Syria Live Coverage: A Battle for Hama?". Enduringamerica.com. 18 December 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Rebels seize towns in central Syria". Reuters. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  11. ↑ "Rebel gains (3.32 pm GMT)". Middle East Liveblog. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  12. ↑ Miller, James. "Syria Live Coverage: The Insurgents Close on Hama". Enduringamerica.com. 2012-12-19.
  13. ↑ Karouny, Mariam. "Syrian rebels fight for strategic town in Hama province". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016.
  14. ↑ "At least 300 killed in regime airstrike near Syrian bakery". Al Arabiya. 23 December 2012.
  15. ↑ "Syria Live Coverage: "94 Killed" in Regime Airstrike on Bakery Queue". Enduringamerica.com. 24 December 2012.
  16. ↑ "Syria's top military policeman switches sides". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 December 2012.
  17. ↑ "Hama: 6 people were killed by the airforce bombardment on the town of Kafarnbouda". Facebook. 30 December 2012.
  18. ↑ "مداخلة العميد الركن أحمد خالد بري". Orient News. 5 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  19. ↑ "Syrian troops regain control of central town in Aleppo". Xinhua News Agency. 31 December 2012. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013.
  20. ↑ "Syria backs plans to end conflict". The Nation. Pakistan. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  21. ↑ "Moscow Is Sending Planes to Lebanon for 100 Russians Leaving Syria (Published 2013)". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 13 April 2013.
  22. ↑ "Syrian government offensive forces thousands to find shelter in caves, cars". Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  23. ↑ Group Says 54 Died in Syria Military Factory Blast [ dead link ]
  24. ↑ "Syria regime retakes town as Damascus clashes rage". GlobalPost. Retrieved 25 October 2014.

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