Clashes in the southern and eastern countryside of Hama and air and artillery shelling targets areas there

Hama Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: clashes broke out after midnight between the regime forces and their allied militiamen on one hand and the rebel and Islamic factions on the other, in Hirbnafsah area in the southern countryside of Hama. Clashes were accompanied by shelling on areas in the town by the regime forces. Casualties were reported at both sides. In addition, two shells fell after midnight on areas in the regime-controlled Jadrin town in the southern countryside of Hama with no casualties reported. Violent clashes also continue between the regime forces and their allied militiamen on one hand and ISIS on the other in Al-Sheikh Hilal area and the Oil supply line in the eastern countryside of Hama, amid intensive shelling by the regime forces and airstrikes by the warplanes on areas of clashes and other ISIS-controlled areas in the eastern countryside of Hama. The SOHR published yesterday that the warplanes carried out more raids on ISIS-controlled areas in the villages of Abu Hbaylat, Al-Hardaniya, Um Mayyal, Qulayb al-Thor and Al-Albawi in the eastern countryside of Hama but no casualties were reported. The Syrian Observatory published on Monday, the 3rd of July 2017, that successive explosions hit the eastern countryside of Hama in that morning as a result of the violent and intensive raids carried out by the Russian and the regime’s warplanes, targeting ISIS-controlled areas in the villages of Al-Barghothiyyah, Abu-Hbaylat, Abu-Hanaya, Jana Al-‘Albawi, Hamada Omar, Salba, Massoud, Qulayb Al-Thawr, Al-Hardana, ‘Akash, Abu-Dalia and other areas controlled by ISIS near ‘Eqayrbat in the eastern countryside of Hama. These explosions coincided with clashes between the regime forces and their allied militiamen on one hand and ISIS on the other in the eastern and northeastern countryside of Salamiyah, in an attempt by the regime forces to take a step ahead of ISIS forcing it away from Salamiyah- Ithriyah road which leads to Khanaser and Aleppo city; thus putting an end to its presence in the eastern countryside of Hama.

These clashes, which were initiated by the regime forces and which have been accompanied by an ongoing escalated shelling for the last two weeks with ballistic missiles and shelling by the Russian and the regime’s warplanes and the launching of missiles, which are believed to be ground-to-ground, come as part of a large-scale military operation, that followed taking control of Al-Rasafa – – Ithriyah road and ending ISIS presence in Aleppo Province; an operation by which the regime forces are trying to advance for 45 km, extending from Shahed point 9 and Shahed point 10, south-west of Al-Sheikh Hilal area in the eastern countryside of Hama to Al-Sha’er Gas Field in the eastern desert of Homs. Such an advancement, if achieved, would allow the regime forces to force ISIS to withdraw from an area of about 2500 km2, over both Homs and Hama Provinces; and thus would put an end to ISIS existence in Hama and fully secure the Salamiyah — Ithriyah -Khanaser-Aleppo road, which is the main artery nourishing the city of Aleppo and the regime-controlled areas in the Province, in addition to securing the entire Palmyra-Homs road.