HTS seizes key towns in Syria’s Hama amid escalating tensions
HAMA, Syria (North Press) – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, once known as al-Nusra Front), announced on Wednesday that it had taken control of two predominantly Alawite towns in the countryside of Hama, west-central Syria.
According to HTS’ affiliated “Operations Directorate for Deterring Aggression,” the group advanced earlier in the day into several villages within the Ghab Plain, west of Hama.
A military source told North Press that the HTS captured the towns of al-Jid and al-Rasif, both with predominantly Alawite populations, marking a significant shift in the Ghab Plain area.
Additionally, the group confirmed the capture of five members of an Iranian-backed militia in the town of Maar Shhour, east of Hama.
Among the detainees were two Afghan nationals and three others from the Syrian government’s Special Forces Division 25.