Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

Syria Ex-Rebel Military Chief Says to Dissolve Armed Wing

The military chief of Syria's victorious Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said on Tuesday it would be "the first" to dissolve its armed wing and integrate into the armed forces. "In any state, all military units must be integrated into this institution," Murhaf Abu Qasra, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hassan al-Hamawi, said in an interview ...

Syria's New Rulers Step Up Engagement With The World

Syria's new rulers stepped up engagement on Tuesday with countries that deemed ousted president Bashar al-Assad a pariah, with the French flag raised at the embassy for the first time in over a decade. Assad fled Syria just over a week ago, as his forces abandoned tanks and other equipment in the face of a lightning offensive spearheaded by the ...

Assad Claims Rebels Attempting to 'Redraw' Regional Map

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Monday branded an Islamist-led offensive that has captured swathes of territory an attempt to redraw the regional map in line with US interests. His comments in a phonecall with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian came as Syria's military and its ally Russia launched deadly air raids on areas under ...

Syria: Army Clash With Jihadists Leave Scores Dead in the North

Jihadists launched a surprise attack on the Syrian army in the northern province of Aleppo on Wednesday, sparking clashes in which 57 combatants were killed, a war monitor said. Clashes followed "an operation launched by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" (HTS), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, referring to a jihadist group led by Al-Qaeda's ...