Syrians and Palestinians living in Syria stand next to a poster depicting Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad as they mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Damascus, Syria April 29, 2022. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi

i24 News – US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said that Washington “is closely monitoring the situation in Syria,” while blaming President Bashar al-Assad’s regime for “the collapse of Assad regime lines in northwest Syria.”

Syrian government forces said that areas north of Hama had been taken back from the opposition coalition, led by Hayat Tahrir a-Sham (HTS).

The offensive, dubbed “Operation Deterrence of Aggression,” began last Wednesday and includes other opposition groups, such as the Syrian National Army.

Savett denied the US was involved in the attack, led by “a designated terrorist organization.”

The push overran Assad forces in Aleppo, controlling important transportation routes after taking swathes of territory. The anti-government forces have reached the outskirts of Hama, on the main highway that leads from Aleppo to Damascus.

Russia replaced Lieutenant General Sergey Kisel, in charge of Moscow’s forces in Syria, amid his tactical failures. The weakening of Assad’s allies – including Russia, Iran, and Shi’ite militias like the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah – created conditions that have led to anti-government forces’ most significant gains against Assad in years.

While HTS has long been considered a terrorist organization by the US, Turkey, and other countries, the Syrian National Army, formerly the Free Syrian Army, is allied with Turkey.

HTS, formerly Jabhat A-Nusra, was founded by Abu Mohammad al-Julani, a warlord tied with Al-Qaeda in the early years of the Syrian civil war.