The fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, following the launch of the “Deter Aggression” campaign by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied opposition factions, marked a turning point in Syria’s conflict and the role of foreign fighters within it. As the war shifted, so too did the presence and influence of tactical units made up of foreign fighters – groups that have since played a critical role in reshaping modern militant strategy in the region.| The Soufan Center
Amidst violent unrest along Syria’s Mediterranean coast, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to merge with the country’s new government earlier this week, in what has been hailed as a historic agreement. The deal was widely lauded as a breakthrough for the interim government, led by former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) frontman Ahmed al-Sharaa, […]| The Soufan Center
The Islamic State is prioritizing freeing its operatives and supporters from SDF-controlled prisons and detention camps, seeing that as a necessary step for the group’s resurgence. To that end, they’ve launched attacks on prisons and jails, the most notable of which was the 2022 al-Sinaa prison break at al-Hasakah. The largest prison in the Northeast, […]| The Soufan Center
The regional warfare that erupted following the Hamas incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023 laid bare the challenges to the region posed by non-state actors willing and able to defy state authority to pursue their separate ideologies and further the objectives of their outside backers. In three cases – Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, all […]| The Soufan Center
The Syrian people, as well as Western and regional leaders, hoped that the fall of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to Islamist rebels professing moderation and tolerance would quickly produce domestic stability. Regional and European countries anticipated an end to civil conflict might encourage the more than 6 million Syrian refugees and 7 million […]| The Soufan Center
Governments are increasingly acknowledging the imperative of repatriating their female and minor citizens from detention camps in Syria.| The Soufan Center
Early Sunday morning in Syria, as rebel factions closed in on Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad fled the country for Russia, signaling a seismic shift in the Middle East’s political landscape. Rebel fighters declared an end to Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule, which followed a 30-year reign of his father, Hafez al-Assad. Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the head […]| The Soufan Center
The current environment in Syria is tailor-made for the Islamic State (ISIS) to exploit in an effort to help facilitate its comeback and resurgence, not just in the country but across the region. Still, the situation is complex. While ISIS will almost certainly gain from the absence of the Assad regime, providing ISIS with greater […]| The Soufan Center
In the ten-day offensive that ultimately toppled the 54-year rule of the Assad regime in Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Sunni Islamist rebel group, showcased its strategic approach to media operations and public relations. The group’s messaging was carefully tailored not just to Syrians, at home and exiled, and other rebel fighters, but also […]| The Soufan Center
Following the recent U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) raid in northwestern Syria leading to the death of Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, many are wondering what impact it will have on the group globally| The Soufan Center
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