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Who and What:

Long-term trends in Central Syria:

Syrian government control is firm in the cities of Homs and Hama, located along Syria’s urban corridor and the government’s Damascus-Aleppo ‘supplies-and-reinforcements’ route. In this region, opposition fighters, dominated in this region by the Islamic Front, Free Syrian Army affiliates, and the Nusra Front (in that order), have consistently disrupted this supply route in two main theaters.

The first is along the international highway as it passes Suran and Morek (just north of Hama), as well as the city of Ma’arat an-Na’man, where rebel fighters’ attacks have begun to focus on Hamadiyya and Wadi ad-Dayf, two large military installations. The second theater is along the stretch of the international highway between Homs and Hama, where opposition forces have cemented a resilient presence in the cities of Telbisa and ar-Rastan, in addition to the northern Homs township of ad-Dar al-Kabir.