2012 Hama offensive

2012 Hama offensive
Part of the Syrian civil war
Areas of interest
Date 16 December 2012 – 31 December 2012 Location Hama, Syria Result Indecisive FSA fighters take control of 10 towns and villages in northern Hama Halfaya massacre Syrian army counter-attack recaptures several towns and villages
Belligerents
Syrian National Coalition Free Syrian Army	Syrian Government Syrian Armed Forces
Commanders and leaders
Kassem Saadeddin	Unknown
Units involved
Unknown	2nd Armoured Division
Casualties and losses
132 killed	111 killed
90–200 civilians killed

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

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.

Offensive

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

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

On 19 December, according to the Local Coordination Committees (LCC), 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.

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

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

On 26 December, the Syrian Army retook control of the three Alawite villages, including Maan, repelling the rebels who had entered them days earlier.

On 29 December, six people were killed by the airforce bombardment on the town of Kafr Nabudah, two of them were children and two women. Also, one civilian was killed by the bombardment on the town of Taybat al-Imam.

On 30 December, the Syrian army general command announced that they took back control of the strategic town of Morek.

On 31 December, Army shelling was reported on Halfaya.

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.

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 loosing Kernaz and with it Kafr Naboudeh. This would leave the military in control of the whole north of Hama, reversing all previous rebel gains.

On 7 February, SOHR reported that 20 government employees at a defense-related factory in the Hama suburbs were killed in a bus bombing.

On 7 February, the military recaptured Kernaz, after 16 days of fighting. 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.