February 2, 2025.

In the early morning of December 8, 2024, Syrian rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham pushed into the outskirts of Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad and his family to flee to Moscow via airplane. This effectively ended 54 years of Ba’athist rule under the Assad regime and eliminated the key actor in the ongoing civil war. The fall of Assads regime brought forth mass celebrations both at Umayyad Square in Damascus and around the world, to which many Syrian refugees then vowed to return to their home country. However, the future and stability of a post-Assad Syria is undetermined as numerous militant groups still exert control over different regions. Furthermore, the legitimacy, transparency, and safety of the new authority are put into question due to the jihadist affiliated past of the new president and other members of his government.

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, otherwise known as HTS, is credited with leading the two-week offensive which “liberated” numerous cities such as Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and finally Damascus, which marked the end of the almost 14-year intrastate conflict against Assad and his regime. Immediately following the fall of Assad, a transitional government was established by HTS. However, in the days that followed it became increasingly evident that the leader of HTS, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, otherwise known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, was emerging as the de-facto leader of Syria. On Wednesday January 29th, Julani, now going by his legal name most likely as a tactic to distance himself from his past, was appointed president by the transitional government. He then gave a speech on Thursday where he pledged to create a transitional government which represents the diversity of Syria, and until then he stated he would serve as the head of state until it can hold free and fair elections. While many Syrians support the new government, many others are skeptical of Julani due to his Islamist past. As of 2025, Julani is currently classified as a terrorist by the United States, has a 10-million-dollar bounty, and has been linked to numerous terrorist groups like al-Qaeda, al-Nusra Front, and ISIS.

Julani was born to a Syrian family in Saudi Arabia in 1982. His family moved to Saudi Arabia after the Israel occupation of the Golan Heights following the Six Days War. He then returned to Syria at seven years old and began living in Damascus. Julani first became politically involved after watching the second intifada unfold in Israel and Palestine, eventually pathing his pathway forward towards Jihadism. After this he moved to Baghdad to peruse his “holy war” and fight against the U.S occupation in Iraq. It was during this time that he joined the group called Al-Qaeda in Iraq. He was then imprisoned by the U.S in 2005 at camp Bucca, and it was here where he met Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the future founder and self-acclaimed caliph of the Islamic State. Julani was released from prison in 2011, and following the Arab Spring, was sent to Syria by Baghdadi to create a jihadist group and fight against the government forces. In 2012 Julani founded and became the emir of the al-Nusra Front, which aimed to overthrow the Assad regime and establish an Islamic State through the use of guerilla warfare and extreme violence against opposition groups. The front essentially worked and operated as a branch of ISIS, however, Julani eventually cut ties with Baghdadi as ISIS became more extreme. Julani also cut ties with al-Qaeda in 2016 due to disagreements among leadership. Julani used this separation as a chance to reinvent himself and his image. In 2017 further disagreements led to the rebranding of al-Nusra to HTS. By 2017 HTS had begun engaging in conflicts with both al-Qaeda and ISIS, groups which Julani had previously affiliated with. Julani and HTS have worked hard to distance themselves from the groups, posing as not a global jihadist group, which envisions a world under Islam and Shiara law, but instead regional jihad which seeks to oust the opposition. HTS classified themselves as conservative Islamist with an authoritarian leadership, however they have increasingly shifted away from authoritarianism in the past years in hopes to not appear as another dictatorship.

Following the appointment of Julani to president, HTS has officially disbanded, with its militants transitioning to the Syrian Armed Forces. It is a common theme of Sunni militants to treat minorities very poorly, such as Shiite Muslims. However, in the cities liberated before the overthrow of Assad, they were reportedly not treated any differently. It is difficult to foresee the future of both minorities and Syrian citizens under the new government. While Julani and HTS has had a past of affiliating with various terrorist organizations, they have undertaken massive measures to distance themselves from these groups. Today Julani puts on the image that he wishes to rebuild Syria to include all minorities, such as Shiites and Christians. The transitional government has also advocated for the creation of future presidential elections and a centralized political system, opposing the current local autonomy of various regions in Syria. It Is evident that Julani wishes to be seen as a legitimate leader of Syria and respected in the international system. However, the next few months under the new leadership must be approached and viewed with caution, as the future and stability of Syria remains undetermined under this questionable leadership.