FO° Talks: Josef Olmert on Syria, Part 2: Ethnic Groups, Factions and Jihadists

FO° Talks: Josef Olmert on Syria, Part 2: Ethnic Groups, Factions and Jihadists

[This is the second part of a nine-part series. To read more, see Part 1 here.]The second part of this series focuses on a dominant political force in Syria: Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In Arabic, the acronym HTS signifies a powerful entity that is currently shaping the nation’s dynamics in Syria. To understand its significance, we must explore the historical and geopolitical context of its name. The term Sham, used in reference to the group’s …

How Syria’s HTS Is Quietly Dismantling the Palestinian Cause

By The Cradle’s Palestine Correspondent – Mar 25, 2025 Under Ahmad al-Sharaa’s direction, Syria’s new Islamist leaders are systematically sidelining Palestinian factions, favoring the US-backed PA, dismantling Iran-linked groups, and reshaping refugee dynamics in alignment with a broader US-backed strategy to neutralize the Palestinian resistance. Since the fall of the Syrian government on 8 December, the direction of the new interim administrat…

From Idlib to Damascus – HTS’ Evolution Into the Syrian Caretaker Government

Loading... Taking too long? Reload document | Open in new tab Download [3.32 MB] On December 6th, 2024, in the middle of a blisteringly successful offensive, with the fall of Damascus and Assad’s government almost guaranteed, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham reintroduced himself to the world. Interviewed by CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh, he dropped his nom de guerre, ‘Mohammed al-Jawlani’. In …