Who is the leader of Syrian Islamist group HTS, and how is the region reacting to Assad's downfall?

DW News ^ | 8/12/24

[Eleutheria5]

The Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has toppled the regime of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. The group insists it has renounced its ties to al-Qaeda and that it will respect pluralism and the rights of minorities. Since the downfall of Assad’s regime, the Syrian President has reportedly fled the country and been granted asylum in Russia.

Meanwhile Israel has seized a buffer zone in the Syrian-controlled area of the Golan Heights. It says this is a temporary but necessary measure since Syrian soldiers had abandoned their positions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said their departure means Israel's 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria has collapsed, and Israeli forces must now take over the territory to protect against any potential threats.

Chapter Breakdown
00:00 Anas Salkhadi, HTS rebel commander, says "Syria is for everyone"
00:34 Rebels loot presidential palace in Damascus
1:03 Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director at the Counter Extremism Project, on Syrian Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
6:48 Israel grabs Syrian-controlled territory in Golan
7:40 Tania Kraemer, DW Correspondent in Jerusalem, on Israeli strikes on Damascus
11:26 Mattias Ebert, ARD Correspondent in Erbil, Iraq, on Iraq's response to Assad's downfall
14:33 Dorian Jones, DW Correspondent in Istanbul, on Turkey's support for Syrian rebels
20:25 Simon Mabon, Middle East Analyst and International Relations Lecturer at Lancaster University, on 14 years of opposition to Assad regime
27:20 Ossama Muhammad, Journalist in Qamishli, northern Syria, on Kurdish groups celebrating Assad's demise

[Eleutheria5]

Round and round and round it goes. And where it stops, nobody knows.

[riverrunner]

Good

[Navy Patriot]

Very complicated consequences for all, some seriously negative for the US and US Security.

Muslim Brotherhood/al Qaeda main major beneficiary.

Net serious destabilization of Middle East.

[Eleutheria5]

The Middle East is always unstable. The fact that it doesn’t immediately explode does not make it stable. So I read this comment as, it won’t make the ME immediately explode. Just lice sprinkles on the sh!t sundae, not the Dinkelberery cherry on top.

[lurk]

So, we find the guy in charge and say hello. At 0100 hrs.

[ModelBreaker]

“Net serious destabilization of Middle East.”

Not necessarily. Iran’s pipeline for shipping weapons to Hezbollah is broken. It may not come back. Syria’s perpetual interference in Lebanon may be greatly reduced. Removing Russia from the area gives Israel more freedom to prevent weapons from getting into Lebanon and Southern Syria.

Plus, is it possible that the Sunni conquerors will join or tacitly work with the Abraham Accord countries (all Sunni).

So it’s possible that the constant warfare of Hezbollah against Israel will go way down. That’s a massive contributor to Stabilization in the middle east.

[MinorityRepublican]

Plus, is it possible that the Sunni conquerors will join or tacitly work with the Abraham Accord countries (all Sunni).

No. The Islamists hate Israel. The difference is that this time they're Sunni. And backed by Turkey instead of Iran.

[Navy Patriot]

Not necessarily.

I expect the extermination (Ethnic Cleansing) of Christians in Syria (more severe than Lebanon), and increased violence toward Kurds, however I have a very slight chance of being wrong.

[Grampa Dave]

NO nation should ever again expect American blood to be spilled for them.

Each country is responsible its own defense. See Ukraine’s failure, and learn!

#2 posted on 12/8/2024, 2:14:19 PM by Uncle Miltie

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4283304/posts?page=2#2

[Uncle Miltie]

I tell Israelis who ask that we Americans are not coming with boots on the ground to help. They understand. They want to buy our arms, primarily, and that Congress will give them arms too will be welcomed, of course. But they understand that THEY have to do the fighting and dying. It does keep them honest.

[MinorityRepublican]

They want to buy our arms, primarily, and that Congress will give them arms too will be welcomed, of course.

Our politics are fickle. So Israel is going to have to expand their defense industry.

Next President may be Gavin Newsom. And it's possible that the Vice President will be AOC.

[Eleutheria5]

That’s the way it’s always been. We fight our own battles. I wouldn’t have it any other way, not even with Trump at the helm.

[Salvavida]

So tell me how being theological tied to al-Qaeda, all of a suddens respects pluralism and the rights of minorities?

Did his theology change? If not, it’s a lie.