Tag Archives: HTS


Delegation from eastern Syria meets with government in Damascus

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) sent a delegation to Damascus for the first round of talks aimed at the full integration of military and civilian institutions of the autonomous eastern Syria region into the state’s new institutions. The development comes as US forces are slowly withdrawing from the country.



Trump presses Sharaa on foreign fighters as jihadists rise in Syria’s new army

President Donald Trump met with Syrian interim President Ahmad al Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda leader, and urged him to expel foreign jihadists from Syria. However, Sharaa has instead promoted several of these fighters to top military positions, including figures tied to Hayat Tahrir al Sham and Al Qaeda. While Damascus has taken limited, symbolic actions, such as suspending promotions and arresting select fighters, it continues to delay meaningful compliance with US conditions for sanctions relief.







Conflict in Syria Continues

Ahmad Sharawi joins Bill for an update on Syria’s ongoing conflict, including: the recent Alawite insurgency against the government led by Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, the role of jihadist groups and involvement of the Syrian National Army and Syrian Democratic Forces, Israel’s position on minority protection in Syria, and the feasibility of military action in the region.


PIJ logo

Israel conducts strike targeting Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Damascus

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked a building in Damascus, Syria, on Thursday, stating it was a Palestinian Islamic Jihad command and control center. The IDF said it conducted the strike due to concerns about planned attacks against Israeli territory. The Israeli military has increasingly carried out strikes in recent months against former and current Syrian regime assets and various groups, including Hamas.


Abdi and Sharaa

Analysis: Why did Syria’s Kurds sign a deal with the new regime?

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) signed an agreement with Syria’s interim government, integrating the SDF’s 100,000-strong, mostly Kurdish force into the new Syrian military. The deal likely represents a calculated risk by the SDF to curtail Turkish aggression, especially if the US withdraws from the country.


SDF in eastern Syria

After SDF-Damascus deal, a spotlight on US forces in Syria

US forces in eastern Syria continue to work closely with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Free Army (SFA). However, the agreement between SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa to integrate eastern Syria into the country’s new governing institutions could affect the US role in Syria and the broader anti-Islamic State campaign.


US strike on HAD

US kills Al Qaeda’s military commander for Syria

US Central Command killed the top military commander of Hurras al Din, Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria. The Trump administration has targeted Hurras al Din four times since taking office, indicating it is ramping up the pressure on the terror group and its allies.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu calls for the demilitarization of southern Syria

On February 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not allow forces of the new Syrian army to enter areas south of Damascus. “We demand the full demilitarization of southern Syria,” he said. Individuals in southern Syria protested the statement and Syrian officials condemned Israeli incursions into the country.


Syrian Ministry of Defense logo

Profiles of foreign commanders in the new Syrian army

Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al Sharaa, approved the promotion of numerous military commanders, many of whom are foreign fighters previously affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al Sham and other factions that participated in the “Deterring Aggression” campaign against Bashar al Assad.



Syrian forces enter Afrin

Syrian government forces enter Afrin, signaling a change in control

The new Syrian government in Damascus sent a convoy of vehicles from the General Security Department to Afrin, a historically Kurdish city and district in northwest Syria. In 2018, Turkey launched a military operation into Afrin and backed the Syrian National Army (SNA) to run the district. The deployment by Damascus appears to represent a significant shift after five years of rule by the SNA.


US airstrike kills Al Qaeda operative in Syria

CENTCOM described Muhammad Salah al Zabir as “a senior operative in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din.” The strike takes place less than two weeks after the Trump administration took office and may signal a change in policy toward Syria.


Qatari emir arrives in Syria

Syria appoints new president amid widespread diplomatic engagement efforts

On January 29, Ahmed al Sharaa was declared the new president of Syria in the transitional government that came into power after the collapse of the Assad regime on December 8. This declaration led to congratulations from several Arab states in the region, and the Qatari emir arrived in Damascus on January 30, the first head of state to visit the new ruler. These developments are part of a broad diplomatic outreach by Sharaa and his new foreign minister.



Destroyed vehicle near Tishrin Dam

The strategic Tishrin Dam has become a flashpoint in post-Assad Syria

Clashes in Syria have increased at the Tishrin Dam, a strategic site on the Euphrates River around 30 miles south of the Turkish border controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, a collection of former Syrian rebel groups, has been seeking to take the dam since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8.


Ahmad al Mansour

Former HTS fighter Ahmad Hammad al Mansour reportedly detained in Syria after threatening Egyptian president

Ahmad al Mansour, an Egyptian national and former member of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) in Syria, has reportedly been detained in Syria after threatening Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el Sisi. The Islamist militant is an Egyptian Naval Academy graduate with ties to the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Mansour left Egypt for Syria in 2013, where he joined Islamist rebel factions before aligning with HTS.


Mohammed al Waisi

Syria’s new Minister of Justice: A profile of Shadi Mohammed al Waisi

Shadi Mohammed al Waisi, Syria’s newly appointed Minister of Justice in the transitional government, has come under scrutiny after videos from 2015 surfaced showing him ordering executions while serving as a Jabhat al Nusrah judge. Born in Aleppo in 1985, he rose through the ranks of various sharia courts in rebel-held areas before the fall of Bashar al Assad in December 2024, issuing verdicts that included executions and amputations.


Syrian Ministry of Defense logo

Profiles of the new Syrian military leadership, part 2

Beginning on Friday, January 3, the newly appointed minister of defense of the Syrian Interim Government, Murhef Abu Qasra, initiated a series of meetings with leaders of armed factions to discuss integrating these forces into a unified Syrian army. FDD’s Long War Journal has identified and profiled the majority of those in attendance.


New Syrian military leadership

Profiles of new Syrian military leadership

On December 21, Abu Mohammad Jolani, also known as Ahmad al Sharaa, convened a meeting with numerous leaders of Syrian armed factions and local figures to discuss plans for unifying these militias into a new Syrian army. FDD’s Long War Journal has identified and profiled many of those who participated.


Jolani reward poster

US removes $10 million reward for Hayat Tahrir al Sham leader

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said the bounty was lifted on Abu Mohammad al Jolani because it would be “a little incoherent […] to have a bounty on the guy’s head” as she sat down to talk with him. The US government currently lists Jolani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist for his ties to Al Qaeda and Hayat Tahrir al Sham as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.