HTS commander reveals how the group brought down Assad's regime in 11 days - report

Abu Hassan al-Hamwi, chief commander of the military forces of Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS), in a Friday interview with The Guardian, revealed how the group was able to topple the Assad regime in just 11 days.

Hamwi described the internal changes implemented within HTS, as well as the adjustments made to the broader organization of rebel forces.

Following Assad's offensive against rebel forces in northwest Syria in 2019, HTS began developing a new military doctrine to transform the disparate, disorganized jihadist fighters into a disciplined military force capable of taking on the Syrian army, the rebel leader told The Guardian.

Following the 2019 offensive, "all revolutionary factions realized the critical danger – the fundamental problem was the absence of unified leadership and control over the battle," al-Hamwi said.

Part of this involved extending consolidation offers to other rebel groups and defeating groups that refused to unify, such as the Al Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Din.

A new military doctrine

Hamwi explained that the next challenge was developing a new military doctrine to combat Assad's forces. Fighters were reorganized into standardized and coherent military units with an established chain of command.

HTS also began producing its own arms, vehicles, and ammunition. 

To counter the Assad regime's air superiority, HTS established a specialized drone unit focused on developing and deploying advanced combat drones.

This effort proved successful, with the "Shaheen" suicide drone being effectively utilized against Assad's forces during the offensive.

After consolidating northern rebel forces, HTS extended its efforts to southern rebels, many of whom had been dormant or in exile since the Assad regime regained control of southern Syria in 2018.

HTS created a unified operations room, bringing together approximately 25 groups to coordinate their activities against Assad.

The plan was for northern fighters to launch their offensive, followed by a southern uprising culminating in an encirclement of Damascus, with rebel forces meeting in the middle.

Hamwi explained that in late November, a regional situation assessment led to the decision to launch the operation.

The group wanted to prevent further renormalization of the Assad regime, as had happened in May when Saudi Arabia and the UAE recognized the Assad government.

Assad's allies preoccupied

HTS also recognized that Assad's allies abroad were fully absorbed in their own conflicts. Russia was deeply engaged in Ukraine, leaving it unable to deploy aerial units to support the regime's stability.

Similarly, Hezbollah had been severely weakened by extensive Israeli operations across Lebanon and Syria. The Lebanese terror group's fighters were key in maintaining the Assad regime's rule.

Iran was also preoccupied with combating Israel and was unable to send forces to support Assad.

Rebels launched their offensive on November 27, the day the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire went into effect. Over the course of three days from November 29, the whole of Aleppo fell to rebel forces.

This led to a rapid fall of Assad's control over Hama and then Homs, leaving the road to Damascus wide open.

Southern rebels launched their uprising on December 6, ahead of schedule, Hamwi told The Guardian. These uprisings quickly collapsed any semblance of Assad's control over the south. By December 8, rebels had taken over Damascus, and Assad had fled the country. 

After the rebel group's swift victory, on December 10, HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani appointed Mohammad al-Bashir as transitional Prime Minister and assigned him the task of forming a government.