The leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani, has assured in recent hours that all Syrian rebel groups that fought against the regime and put an end to the Assad government will be ‘dissolved’ and ‘subjected to the law’, shortly after Bashar al-Assad himself – in his first statements after his exile in Russia – described the new rulers of the country as ‘terrorists’.
Al-Jolani, whose name refers to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights but who has begun using his real name of Ahmed al-Sharaa, explained in statements reported by several international media that Syrian rebel groups will be disbanded and integrated into the army, leaving them under the defence ministry control. ‘We have to adopt a state mentality, not an opposition mentality,’ he said.
During a meeting yesterday with members of the Druze minority, he reaffirmed that the country’s religious minorities will be protected and respected, which is essential in a country that is home to many religious and ethnic groups. ‘Syria must remain united,’ he said. ‘There must be a social contract between the state and all religions, as a way of guaranteeing social justice,’ he added.
Assad’s first statements from Russia
Also yesterday, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad broke his silence for the first time since his exile to Russia, saying that ‘my departure from Syria was not planned’. Explaining that as the capital fell into rebel hands he took a plane from Damascus to the Russian airbase in Latakia, the Syrian dictator said that once there and in the face of rebel drone attacks on the base, and with no way out, ‘Moscow ordered the base command to organise an immediate evacuation to Russia’.
‘When the state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, any office is emptied of its purpose,’ he said, referring to the Syrian presidency. These statements, however, are contradicted by reports from several senior Syrian officials, who reportedly confirmed that Assad fled Syria for Moscow several hours before the rebels captured Damascus.
One million refugees return to Syria
The main question now is what the future holds for the new Syria during this transitional phase which, according to the opposition, should lead to the drafting and adoption of a new constitution within 6 months and free democratic elections within 18 months.
In this regard, the spokesman for Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan‘s AKP party, Ömer Çelik, who once again described as ‘completely false’ the reports accusing Turkey of having supported HTS in its offensive to overthrow Assad, reiterated from Ankara Turkey’s support for the territorial integrity of a Syria that he said must seek to integrate all its ethnic and religious minorities, but Çelik also stressed that expectations of Syria must take into account the state of the country.
‘Some want a Scandinavian democracy (for Syria), but it is evident what the conditions are there,’ Çelik recalled. He said the important thing now is to establish a constitutional order in Syria so that it can become a democratic state, for which Western and regional governments must help the country. ‘This is the key,’ he stressed.
Meanwhile, with thousands of Syrian refugees already crossing the border between Turkey and Syria, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned today that it expects at least one million people to return to Syria in the first six months of 2025 alone. According to UNHCR, some $310 million is urgently needed to meet the ‘critical needs’ of this population of Syrian returnees.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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