Revealed: year-long plot by Syrian rebels to topple Assad

Syrian rebels began planning the military assault that toppled the Assad regime a year ago, in a highly disciplined operation which saw close coordination between opposition groups around the country, the top military commander of the main rebel group has revealed.

- William Christou

In his first interview with foreign media since the fall of Assad's 54-year-rule, Abu Hassan al-Hamwi, the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's (HTS) military wing, spoke about how his group, which was based in the country's north-west, communicated with rebels in the south to create a unified war room with the goal of ultimately surrounding Damascus from both directions.

Thousands of Syrians gathered yesterday in the historic main mosque in Damascus for the first Friday prayers since the downfall of the Assad regime, while giant crowds converged on the capital's largest square, chanting "One, one, one, the Syrian people are one!"

The leader of HTS, Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, appeared in a video message congratulating "the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution".

Meanwhile US secretary of state Antony Blinken met with allies around the region looking to shape the transition, calling for an "inclusive and non-sectarian" interim government.

Al-Hamwi told the Guardian that though the planning for the operation to oust al-Assad, dubbed "deterring aggression", started a year ago, the group had been preparing for years.

Since 2019, HTS has been developing a military doctrine that it used to turn fighters coming from disparate, disorganised opposition and jihadist groups into a disciplined fighting force.

"After the last campaign [August 2019], during which we lost significant territory, all revolutionary factions realised the critical danger; the fundamental problem was the absence of unified leadership and control over battle," said al-Hamwi, 40, who has overseen the military wing for five years, talking in Jableh, a former regime stronghold.