East Hama offensive (2017)

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Eastern Hama offensive (2017)
Part of the Syrian Civil War and the Russian military intervention in Syria
Date31 May – 18 June 2017
(2 weeks and 4 days)
Location
Result

Limited Army gains [1]

  • Offensive stalled
  • Syrian army capture 2 towns, 4 villages and a hilltop
Belligerents

Flag of Syria.svg Syrian Arab Republic

Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Allied militias:
Emblem of Liwa Al-Quds.svg Liwa al-Quds
InfoboxHez.PNG Hezbollah [2]
AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Units involved

Flag of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces.svg Syrian Armed Forces

Banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (obverse).svg Russian Armed Forces

InfoboxHez.PNG Hezbollah [2]

AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Military of ISIL

The Eastern Hama offensive (2017) was a military operation conducted by the Syrian Army against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) with the goal to secure the Ithriyah-Sheikh Hilal road, the government supply line towards Aleppo, and advance towards Wadi Auzain. [16]

The offensive

On 31 May, the Syrian Arab Army and its allies, supported by the Russian Air Force, began an offensive towards the IS stronghold of Uqayribat, [17] in the eastern part of the Salamiyah District in Hama Governorate. [18] The next day, a new batch of government reinforcements arrived for the offensive. [19] Uqayribat had been used by ISIL as a launching pad for attacks on Salamiyah. On 3 June, Syrian and Russian warplanes carried out more than 30 air strikes ISIL positions. Heavy artillery and missiles were also used. [20]

During the morning of 5 June, the Syrian Arab Army, supported by the NDF, started an operation on a second axis against ISIL to the south of Sheikh Hilal. Before the ground attack, ISIL positions were hit by non-stop air strikes and artillery shelling. [21] The next day, the Army captured two towns south-east of Sheikh Hilal. [16]

On 12 June, the Syrian Army sent technicals, anti-aircraft guns and artillery pieces mounted on trucks to the area. [22] Four days later, government forces restarted the offensive, capturing the large hilltop of Tal Dabbart Debah and then shifting their attention to the Aqareb Dam. [23] During 18 June, the Army captured four villages north of Uqayribat, along the road between Ithriya and Al-Saan. [24] [25] On 13 July, Desert Hawks alongside NDF and Liwa al-Quds secured villages of Um Tuwaynah, al-Hardaneh and al-Qatshiyah, south of Salamiyah-Ithriyah road, thus securing the supply line to Aleppo city. [26]

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34°33′36″N38°16′02″E / 34.5600°N 38.2672°E / 34.5600; 38.2672