Who Are The Rebel Forces Who Have Toppled Bashar al-Assad's Govt In Syria? Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Explained

The rebel forces are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (or HTS) along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army.

After 24 years of rule, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled Syria as the rebel forces takes over the capital city of Damascus. The rebel fighters said they have 'liberated' the capital city, taking control over government institutions and freeing prisoners, some of whom have been lodged for decades. 

But who are the rebel forces who led a blitzkrieg attack on Damascus, days after capturing the key city of Aleppo and toppling the rule of Al-Assad, which was backed by Iran and Russia?

The rebel forces are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (or HTS) along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army.

The HTS and Syrian National Army, mostly Sunni militants as opposed to Assad, who was a Shia, have been in conflict with the Syrian government since 13 years, when the civil war started in 2011.

The opposition forces launched a shocking offensive on November 27 with gunmen capturing Aleppo, which is Syria’s largest city, the central city of Hama and the strategic city of Homs. Finally, on Sunday (December 12), they entered the Syrian capital city Damascus, taking the city without a fight as government forces fled.

What Is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham?

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is currently the most powerful rebel faction in Syria. It is ruled by Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, the 42-year-old leader who is seen as being instrumental in HTS achieving its aims in recent days.

Born in Saudi Arabia, he later moved to Damascus and began engaging in the geopolitics of the region from an early age. Cut to 2011, HTS was formed to fight pro-Assad forces and had links to the Islamic State, and then to Al Qaeda.

However, soon after the HTS broke its ties with Al Qaeda in 2016 and rebranded as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham or the Organization for the Liberation of the Levant. Jolani has said that the primary goal of the group was to 'liberate Syria from the oppressive regime.' 

In an interview to CNN before taking control over Damascus, Jolani said that the ambition of the group was "nothing less than bringing an end to the Assad regime". He added that the group wants to create a government based on institutions and a “council chosen by the people.”

“When we talk about objectives, the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime. It is our right to use all available means to achieve that goal," Jolani told CNN in the interview.

“The seeds of the regime’s defeat have always been within it… the Iranians attempted to revive the regime, buying it time, and later the Russians also tried to prop it up. But the truth remains: this regime is dead," he added.

Is HTS A Designated Terror Group?

The HTS is designated as a terrorist group by the US and there have been human rights concerns in the area under its control. According to reports, the HTS doesn't tolerate dissent and has carried out executions for those accused of affiliation with rival groups and over charges of blasphemy and adultery.

The HTS enjoys a complicated relation with the Syrian National Army. Though the groups have been allies at times, they have also been rivals at times. The Syrian National Army, a coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups, is indirectly supported by Turkey. 

According to a report in The New York Times, though American officials have been publicly cautious about Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but some officials inside the US government believe that the group's turn toward pragmatism is genuine. It said that the HTS leaders know that they cannot achieve their goals of leading Syria and forming a government if the group is seen as a jihadist organisation.