The Syrian researcher Muhsen AlMustafa at the Omran Center for Strategic Studies explained that Hama represents a very strategic location for all parties involved in the Syrian conflict, especially for the armed factions currently trying to seize it. He told Al-Hurra that the city’s importance stems from its geographical position on the international M5 highway, as well as its symbolic role in the Syrian revolution, given its long history of opposing the Assad regime.

AlMustafa said: “Whoever controls the city of Hama will hold the initiative for broader military advances. The city also has an important transportation hub that facilitates large-scale military operations.” Hama connects with the Syrian desert, as well as with the Idlib countryside, and it hosts a military airport. According to the Syrian researcher, controlling it would also mean easier control over Homs than expected. He continued: “It could also spark movements in the Damascus countryside, Daraa, and Sweida to expel regime units, thereby imposing a new military reality.”