The Economist explains

Who are the main rebel groups in Syria?

They were united against the country’s dictator. Now they have little in common

 Islamist-led Syrian rebel fighters shoot in the air in the early hours of December 8, 2024, after taking over the central city of Homs overnight.
Photograph: AFP
|5 min read

WHEN REBELS reached Syria’s capital, Damascus, on December 8th, they did so from two directions. Fighters from the south were the first to arrive. From the north came members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former affiliate of al-Qaeda that had led the push against the country’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, over the preceding fortnight. The Syrian National Army (SNA) and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), two other important groups, were also involved in the fight to topple Mr Assad. This was the culmination of 13 years of bloody civil war. Soon after rebels reached the city, the president fled, ending more than 50 years of his family’s rule.

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From the December 14th 2024 edition

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