MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Syrian opposition forces are storming ahead with their largest offensive in years against the government of Bashar al-Assad.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The rebel push started last week when fierce fighting led to the stunning capture of Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo. Then, as of yesterday, they swept into the city of Hama, a major government stronghold on the road south to Damascus.
MARTIN: NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi is with us now with more. Good morning, Hadeel.
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: So where does this rebel advance stand now? They seem to be moving so fast.
AL-SHALCHI: They really are. I mean, it's been a week of violent fighting between the rebel forces and pro-government factions, which are backed by Russia and Iran. Army troops withdrew yesterday from the fringes of the city of Hama, and the opposition forces were seen celebrating in the city's center. We do know that Syrian groups have said that more than a hundred civilians have been killed in the fighting.
MARTIN: I understand that Hama has been considered a key city since before the Syrian civil war that broke out in 2011. Could you just remind us of what makes it important?
AL-SHALCHI: Yeah. So Hama has been a notorious city since President Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, ruled the country. In 1982, government security forces massacred thousands of people in an uprising led by the Muslim Brotherhood at the time. And last night, a video online showed people toppling over a statue of Hafez al-Assad. I mean, we couldn't verify the video independently. And Hama has regional significance. The city is a main supply route that Iran uses to move weapons to its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, who's fighting a war with Israel right now. The Israeli military said that it conducted strikes on what they are calling weapon-smuggling routes used by Hezbollah at the Syrian-Lebanese border last night.
MARTIN: Hadeel, remind us who is leading this offensive.
AL-SHALCHI: Right, so the main group is called Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham. It's also known as HTS. HTS used to be affiliated with al-Qaida but broke off years ago. But the U.S. and other Western countries still designate it a terrorist group. So, Michel, for years, they've sort of moved away from a jihadist ideology. And while it's still a fundamentalist and not a democratic group by any stretch, they've become a bit more pragmatic, focusing on civilian rule - you know, setting up services, running a stronger economy in areas they control. HTS's leader, Mohammad al-Julani, told CNN in an interview today that, quote, "the revolution has evolved from chaos and randomness into a state of order, both militarily and civilian matters." But there are questions whether this HTS branding is real or just a PR campaign.
MARTIN: Given their background, do we have a sense of what civilians in Aleppo City and Hama have been saying?
AL-SHALCHI: For sure. So the main sentiment has been cautious optimism. Syrians living under government control have long complained about severe oppression. Some people I spoke to in Aleppo said the rebel forces were able to restore order back to the city as soon as they took it over. A video circulating online showed fighters and civilians celebrating in the streets and Julani driving through, being greeted with joy. There's also been images of prisoners being released from Hama's jails, where dozens of people were detained for anti-government activities. But then there are also thousands of people fleeing Hama, afraid - Kurds who hold their own rival territory in the northeast and many Alawites. They're the sect the Assad family comes from.
MARTIN: What are we going to be looking at next?
AL-SHALCHI: Our sights are all on the next big city, Homs, where there are reports that there's fighting on the outskirts already. The regime has also tried to destroy strategic bridges leading to Homs. We're on the road to Damascus, and if the rebels keep up this momentum, they'll be inching closer to the Syrian government's seat of power.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi. Hadeel, thank you.
AL-SHALCHI: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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