The Hidden Ruler: How Jolani's HTS Regroups Syria!

The Hidden Ruler: How Jolani's HTS Regroups Syria!

In a dramatic turnaround in the more than 13-year-old Syrian civil war, the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has made massive progress in the last week. The offensive began with attacks on government forces led by President Bashar al-Assad, with the rebels gaining control of Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, by Saturday and continuing to advance toward Hama. Wassim Nasr, an expert on jihadist groups, explained that HTS used its best-equipped units and advanced drone technology to retake territory previously lost to Shiite militias allied with Iran. These rapid military successes could fundamentally threaten the survival of the Assad regime, as Moscow and Tehran's foreign supporters are currently weakened by the war in Ukraine and confrontations with Israel, as national security expert Jennifer Cafarella points out.

Al-Jolani's change and his ambitions

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who is classified as a terrorist in the USA, has repositioned himself not only militarily but also politically in recent years. His group severed previous ties to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, after which HTS attempted to establish itself as a local alternative government in northwestern Syria. Analysts describe him as a pragmatic leader who no longer pursues the global concept of jihad, but instead strives for a Syrian identity and form of government, which makes him appear to international actors as a "security guarantor." Al-Jolani plans to create an institution-based system of government that is not based on individual rule, according to his statements to CNN.

But despite this change, violence has not disappeared. HTS remains under scrutiny as its authoritarian regime and reports of torture and the displacement of minorities continue to give the group a bad reputation. Nevertheless, during the offensive, al-Jolani mobilized many people who had previously protested against him. “Now is the time to fight,” residents of Idlib report, indicating a sudden change in attitudes among the population. The Syrian civil war, which has been going on since 2011 and has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, is reaching a new peak due to current developments, which could potentially have far-reaching consequences for the region, as reported by Vienna newspaper and Rolling Stones clarified.