Five months of HTS rule in Syria: Oppression, massacres, and repression

Five months of HTS rule in Syria: Oppression, massacres, and repression

HTS is imposing a sharia regime, silencing the population through sectarian policies, and targeting women and minorities. On December 8, 2024, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the 61-year-old Baath regime by capturing Damascus through its so-called “Deterrence of Aggression Operation,” launched on November 27, 2024. On the day Damascus fell, HTS leader Al-Jolani (Ahmed Al-Sharaa) delivered a speech at the Umayyad Mosque, promising “coexiste…