[Eight years ago, the tide of the Syrian civil war shifted in the favor of President Bashar al-Assad, thanks to a Russian blitzkrieg on Aleppo, allowing him to regain control of the city.
However, a coalition of Syrian armed rebel groups, operating under the banner of Deterrence of Aggression, has captured the city in a surprise attack, dealing a significant blow to Assad and escalating the conflict.
The coalition consists of well-established armed Islamist factions, including Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), the most prominent group, founded by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a former al-Qaeda fighter. Despite the US and other Western countries designating HTS as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, Jolani has maintained that his group does not pose a threat to Western or European society.
The group has been responsible for the offensive on Aleppo, with other key participants including the Syrian National Army, an umbrella group funded and armed by Turkey, and its constituent groups, such as the National Liberation Front and Ahrar al-Sham.
Ahrar al-Sham, a moderate Islamist group, has issued instructions to Muslim leaders to protect ethnic and religious minorities, stating that no one, including Christians, Armenians, or any sect, should be harmed or have their property encroached upon.
The Syrian groups’ reliance on Turkey has become problematic, as it sets its targets on Kurdish-controlled areas rather than the Assad regime, which has been a primary target of the initial insurgency. Experts warn that this has hindered the groups’ ability to effectively fight against the Assad regime.
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