2013 Hama offensive The 2013 Hama offensive was a military operation launched by Syrian rebels during the Syrian civil war in the eastern part of the province of Hama , in an attempt to open up a new front , after rebel attacks in the governorate had stalled . The rebels managed to capture 10 villages during their offensive . However , the Army soon retaliated and reversed all of the rebels gains , as well as capturing the town of Halfaya , which the rebels captured during their previous offensive , five months earlier . Offensive . Opening rebel attacks . On April 25 , rebel forces launched an attack in Hama city , where heavy clashes erupted for the first time in months as rebels tried to relieve pressure on their forces under attack from government troops elsewhere in the country . The next day , clashes occurred in the neighborhood of Tariq Halab between the Army and the rebels . Video footage emerged of several soldiers being burned alive in an armored vehicle . Army captures Halfaya and rebels advance . On 10 May , a cease - fire agreement between government and rebel forces in Halfaya broke down . Heavy shelling of the town started in which 25 people were reportedly killed . Government forces tightened the siege on Halfaya and the town of Aqrab , shutting down communications in the area . The shelling of Halfaya and Aqrab was seen as preparation to storm the towns . On 17 May , rebels captured four Alawite villages in the eastern part of Hama province . The villages were abandoned by its residents days before the rebels arrived . The villages in question were Tulaysiyah , Zoghbe , Shaata and Balil . Their takeover followed several weeks of fighting after which the Army withdrew from the area . On 19 May , the Syrian Army took control of Halfaya after rebel forces retreated from the town . The takeover was reportedly followed with the burning of homes by government troops and the execution of 15 people by pro - government militias , according to the opposition . On 23 May , rebels reportedly took control of three more villages in the eastern part of the province . On 24 May , government forces raided the town of Ma ' arzaf , and two days later captured the village of Rihya . Army counter - attack . On 1 June , after heavy fighting , the Syrian Army recaptured the two Allawite villages of Tulaysiyah and Janineh and on 2 June they recaptured the Allawite village of Zoghbe , after the withdrawal of rebel forces , according to SOHR . By 3 June , the Army had captured 13 villages in Hama province during their offensive , including the ones captured by the rebels earlier in the operation , according to state TV and SOHR . According to the Syrian news agency SANA , by 10 June , the Syrian military captured six more villages in eastern Hama . Three days later , the capture of three of those six villages , as well as one other , was confirmed by SOHR . At dawn on 13 June , rebels seized an Army position on the northern edge of the town of Morek , in fighting that killed six soldiers and two rebels . Later in the day , the Army shelled the base and sent reinforcements in an attempt to recapture the post . On 14 June , fighting took place in the village of Um Meil , to the east of Al - Salamiyah , with the Army capturing the village . The next day , after fierce fighting , the Syrian Army took control of the towns of Rasm al - Abd and Rasm al - Awabed , southeast of Al - Salamiyah . Aftermath . On 7 July , the Syrian Army captured the town of Hayalein .