It was already after the rebels suffered heavy losses in battles with the Syrian army in 2019 that HTS realized the need to organize the various rebel groups.
– The fundamental problem was the lack of a unified leadership, says Abu Hassan al-Hamwi, head of the HTS military branch, in a longer interview with The Guardian.
HTS eventually managed to strengthen its position in northwestern Syria and also began to develop its own weapons, vehicles and ammunition. In addition, with the help of engineers and chemists, they produced their own drones and created a specific drone unit, says al-Hamwi.
– We brought together their knowledge and set up clear directives: We needed reconnaissance, attack and kamikaze drones, with a focus on distance and endurance.
He also describes how he trained the group’s soldiers and that a military doctrine was hammered out.
– We studied the enemy closely, analyzed their tactics both day and night, and used these insights to develop our own strength.
Succeeded in reaching rebels in the south
The unification of the rebel groups in the country took off a year ago when HTS contacted various rebel factions in the south and got them to cooperate partly among themselves and partly with HTS in the north.
They agreed on the goal of advancing from both the south and the north – and meeting in the capital, Damascus.
At the end of November, they began the offensive – and on December 8 they captured Damascus.
The expert: HTS saw an opportunity
That HTS chose to strike precisely at this time is due to the troubled situation in the Middle East, Middle East expert Alexander Atarodi has previously told SVT. Syria’s allies Iran and Hezbollah are weakened by the conflict with Israel, and Russia is preoccupied with the war in Ukraine.
– This is what makes the rebels in Syria see an opportunity to advance their positions, says Alexander Atarodi.
At the beginning of the offensive, the rebels quickly took Aleppo in the north, which al-Hamwi describes in the interview as decisive.
– We had a conviction that Damascus cannot fall until Aleppo falls.