Tag Archives: HTS

Ahmad al Mansour

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

| January 15, 2025

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

| January 8, 2025

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

| January 6, 2025

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

| December 31, 2024

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

| December 22, 2024

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.

B-52 over Syria

US launches massive strikes on Islamic State as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham deposes Assad regime

| December 9, 2024

The significant US operation against the Islamic State is part of the effort to degrade the terror group and keep it from gaining ground in areas held by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the wake of the Assad regime’s collapse. The attacks may also serve as a warning to the Syrian National Army (SNA) and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) not to push too hard against the SDF, America’s flawed ally in Syria.

IDF troops near a C-130 aircraft

Israel moves forces into buffer zone with Syria as Assad regime falls

| December 8, 2024

On December 8, Syria’s Assad regime fell from power, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu journeyed to the Golan Heights. “This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers,” Netanyahu said. Israel sent additional troops to the Golan on December 7 and conducted training to confront the developments in Syria. The IDF also seized part of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, part of a buffer zone between Israel and Syria.

U.S. designates al Qaeda financial facilitator based in Turkey

| July 28, 2021

The U.S. Treasury Department announced today that two money men working for al Qaeda and Hay’at Tahrir al Sham (HTS) have been designated. The designations are part of a broader U.S. effort to sanction individuals and entities taking part in the Syrian war. Other extremists and parts of Bashar al-Assad’s regime were also designated and sanctioned as part of the campaign.

UN: Islamic Jihad Union operates in Syria

| July 31, 2019

In the UNSC’s new report on the Islamic State, al Qaeda, and affiliated groups, the UN states that the Uzbek jihadist group, the Islamic Jihad Union, operates in Syria. This was not previously known.

2 al Qaeda leaders reject proposed military council in Syria

| January 30, 2019

Abu Hammam al-Shami and Dr. Sami al-Uraydi have rejected a proposal that they say would create a new military council in northern Syria under the leadership of an Assad regime dissident. The proposal was allegedly put forth by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s leaders, whom al-Shami and al-Uraydi have quarreled with in the past.

Analysis: Jihadists in Syria react to Sochi agreement

| October 16, 2018

Hay’at Tahrir al Sham (HTS), the most powerful jihadist organization in Idlib province, has finally issued a statement addressing the agreement reached between Turkey and Russia last month. HTS vows to continue waging jihad, and warns that it doesn’t trust Russia’s “intentions,” but does not directly repudiate the Sochi accord.

Interview with an Iranian fighter in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

| September 18, 2018

Lars Hauch conducted an online interview with a fighter who migrated from Iran to Syria and joined Harakat Muhajirin Ahl Sunnat Iran, an Iranian battalion in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). HTS is a large Sunni jihadist group that is opposed to the Assad regime and its Iranian-backed allies.

UN: Iran-based leaders ‘have grown more prominent’ in al Qaeda’s global network

| August 14, 2018

A report by the United Nations includes new details concerning the dispute between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and al Qaeda’s senior leaders, including the role played by two veteran operatives living in Iran. The UN’s member states say that HTS is still in “contact” with al Qaeda’s leadership despite their heated disagreements, and that al Qaeda has even reinforced HTS with “military and explosives experts” sent from Afghanistan.