The offensive
Rebels advance
The operation began on 29 August, with two Jund al-Aqsa suicide car bombings against Syrian Army checkpoints near the village of al-Lataminah. Fierce fighting ensued, after which, the rebels managed to swiftly capture several villages. The local pro-government National Defense Forces militia were sent into a sudden and uncoordinated retreat, which lead to the rebels capturing the town of Halfaya. [9]
Over the next 24 hours, the Syrian Air Force conducted 52 airstrikes, [9] which killed at least 20 rebels, [31] and soon after the Army managed to temporarily recapture one village, before they were pushed back once again. [9] By the evening of 30 August, the rebels also managed to seize the town of Taybat al-Imam, [72] as well as two other nearby villages. [73] The next day, the rebels managed to enter the town of Suran, but were subsequently pushed back after failing to capture the town's center. [21] However, four hours later, a second rebel attack was launched which ultimately ended in the rebel capture of Suran. [74] Afterwards, the rebel forces led by Jund al-Aqsa began an attack on the Alawite village of Ma’an, claiming to already have captured a small barrier to the settlement's north and 4 checkpoints to the east. [51] [75]
On 1 September, the rebels seized the town of Maardis, as well as a nearby village. [76] [77] During their advances at Maardis, the rebels had seized a missile base that was being prepared by Russian forces for use. [78] Over the next four days, several unsuccessful Army counter-attacks were conducted in an attempt to recapture the town. [77] [79] [80] [81] [82] [83] At the same time elsewhere, rebel attacks on the villages of Ma’an, [60] Kawkab [24] and Jubbayn, were repelled by government troops. [57]
On 2 September, a low-flying Aérospatiale Gazelle in the area was destroyed mid-air by a Jaish al-Izza BGM-71 TOW missile. [68] [84] The next day, the Syrian Army temporarily recaptured Samam Hill, [85] before losing it again later in the day. [86] Two days later, government forces captured two hills overlooking the town of Qamhana, and forced the rebels to retreat from the town's outskirts. [52]
Army counter-attack, new rebel advance and stalemate
On 6 September, the Syrian Army repelled rebel assaults on Ma’an and the neighboring Karah village. In the process, Syrian Army units recaptured the village of Btaysh. [87] On 7 September, the Syrian Army and NDF units launched a new attack against Maardis and Taybat Al-Imam, clearing the area around Kawkab, [88] and recaptured three villages by 9 September. [89]
On 11 September, following a suicide attack against Army positions, the rebels captured Kawkab. [90] On 13–14 September, rebel forces launched several attacks near Maardis and Ma'an and took control of a number of checkpoints, though their assaults on the towns themselves were reportedly repelled by the government. [91] [92] [93]
As of 15 September, following the gains made in the previous two weeks, the rebels were preparing to start the second phase of their offensive to reach Hama city. [94] At the same time, government forces were mobilizing for a counter-attack to regain all territory they had lost. [95] [96]
Further rebel gains
The Army launched its counter-attack on 21 September, and advanced, capturing a hilltop and several farms on the eastern edge of Maardis. The rebels claimed to had destroyed four Army tanks during the fighting [97] [98] and that they captured and executed 20 soldiers. [65] The next day, the military seized several farms near Maardis. [99] However, on 23 September, rebel forces reversed all government gains during a counter-attack, [100] while there were conflicting reports on who controlled the village of Iskandariah. [100] [101] On the same day, Russian warplanes bombed a rebel headquarters in cave in Taybat al-Imam, killing 22 rebel fighters from the Free Idlib Army. [61] [102]
On 24 September, the rebels captured Ma’an and al-Kabariyyah after a short battle. [103] [104] The Syrian Army subsequently launched a small-scale counter-attack, reentering al-Kabariyyah. [105]
On 27 September, the rebels once again advanced and captured six more villages. [106] On 28 September, according to the Syrian Army, Jund al-Aqsa used chemical weapons against pro-government defenders as the group attacked and captured Karah. [33] [107] In response to the rebel's advances, several pro-government units were sent as reinforcements to Hama province [54] [108] and soon after government forces announced a new counter-offensive. [109] By 29 September, the rebels had seized 42 towns, villages and hills. [1] Meanwhile, the rebel group Ahrar Darayya (originating from Darayya) merged with Jaysh al-Nasr and joined the battle in northern Hama. [49]
On 6 October, it was reported that Fuad al-Salah, the prominent leader of the 'Leopard Militia', was killed in northern Hama. [43]
Army counter-attack and government regains ground
On 8 October, taking advantage of rebel-infighting in the nearby Idlib province, [110] the Army launched a counter-attack and recaptured 10 villages (including Qarah), several hills, [111] [112] two checkpoints and an airfield. [10] The military continued to advance towards other nearby villages, specifically Ma'an, [111] while a Russian air-strike directly hit a small convoy leaving Kawkab. [113]
On 9 October, the Army recaptured two more villages (Ma'an and Kubbariyah), [114] as well as parts of Kawkab. [115] Renewed fighting for Ma'an took place later that night, [116] and by the next day both villages were again rebel-held. [117] Subsequently, government troops launched a new assault on Ma'an, [118] and the town, along with nearby Kawkab, was heavily hit by air-strikes. [119] On 11 October, the Army seized Kawkab, as well as Kubbariyah once again. [120] [121] A subsequent rebel counter-attack against Kawkab was repelled, [122] with the rebels reportedly suffering heavy casualties. [123] [124] [125] Two days later, the Army captured Ma'an, as well as a nearby hill. [4] [126] [127]
On 16 October, government forces seized Maardis and the village of Iskandariah. [128] [129] The advance came after Army units managed to take control of the nearby Al-Abbadah hill the previous day [130] and establish fire control over Maardis. [131] The rebels subsequently launched a counter-attack before nightfall in an attempt to regain both Maardis and Iskandariah. [132] [133] Government control of Maardis remained tenuous as fighting continued into the evening. [134] By the next day, the counter-attack had been repelled. [135] During the fighting, the rebels managed to temporarily regain the town [136] before losing it again. [64]
Early on 18 October, an Army assault on Suran started, [137] with government troops managing to capture a base near the town. [138] [139] Government attempts to advance continued the next day. [140]
Early on 24 October, clashes took place around al-Remelia, near Salamiyah, [141] while the government prepared a new assault to regain Taybat al-Imam and Souran from the rebels. [142] Later on, the Army advanced west of Ma'an and into the eastern outskirts of Souran, leading to fierce clashes with rebel defenders. [143] The next day, the Army advanced west of Ma'an and recaptured Dharat Al-Fitas, Talat Khirbat and the Madajnah Checkpoint after pushing further towards the key town of Morek. [144] [145] Meanwhile, Jund al-Aqsa fighters executed Baha'a Al-Nizal, the leading commander of Jaysh al-Farouq in northern Hama, for unknown reasons. [34] On 27 October, government forces advanced into Souran after capturing the nearby hilltop of Tal Al-Dour, [146] resulting in a fierce battle, which lasted until the rebels retreated, allowing the Army to secure the town completely. [7] [147] [148] Meanwhile, clashes also took place in Taybat al-Imam. [149]
Between 28 October and 4 November, the military made advances north of Souran and Ma'an, capturing a checkpoint, [150] the village Al-Buwaydah and several hills. [8] [151] [152] [153] On 4 November, the military continued its advance and took three checkpoints south of the rebel stronghold of Morek. [154] [155]
On 5 November, the military advanced at the village of Lehaya, south of Morek. [156] Concurrently, the rebels launched a counterattack, capturing a checkpoint and Shalyut village to the north of Mhardeh. [157] [158] [159] However, subsequently, after the arrival of military reinforcements, government forces recaptured all lost territory. [160] [161] Still, on 6 November, the rebels managed to recapture two checkpoints and a hill south of Morek that they had lost earlier. [162] [163]
Free Syrian Army [9] 
Sham Legion [21] 
Omran Jabayereh † [15] 
Abu al-Baraa al-Hamawi [13] 
Abu Mohammad Uzbeki † [15] 
Basel Marwan Al-Bakri † [27] 
Abo Ahmad Nayef † [28] 
Abu Malek Al-Hamwi † [12] 
Maj. Jamil Saleh [29] 
Abu Ahmed [33] 
Baha'a Al-Nizal 
[34] 
Maj. Gen. Suheil Al Hassan [37] 
Darioush Dorostei † [46] 
"Hundreds" of fighters [22] 
