Syria’s rebel leader hails ‘historic’ victory for the region at landmark Damascus mosque
The Times of Israel
Dec 8, 2024
Syria’s rebel leader hails a “historic” victory from a landmark Damascus mosque after his Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group headed a lightning offensive, snatching the capital from government control in less than two weeks.
His speech comes as Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad fled — for Moscow, according to Russian news agencies — triggering celebrations across Syria and beyond at the end of his oppressive rule.
“This victory, my brothers, is historic for the entire region,” HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, says in a speech at the Umayyad Mosque.
He also says the rebel takeover was a victory “for the entire Islamic nation,” in the video statement shared by rebels on Telegram.
“Today, Syria is being purified,” he says, adding that “this victory is born from the people who have languished in prison, and the mujahideen (fighters) broke their chains.”
He says that, under Assad, Syria had become a place for “Iranian ambitions, where sectarianism was rife,” in reference to Assad’s allies Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah.
He further accuses the toppled ruler of turning the country into a “farm for Iran’s greed.”
As he entered the mosque, crowds can be seen cheering him on and chanting “Allahu akbar (God is greatest),” as videos circulating online show.
HTS is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, with which it broke ties in 2016.
Proscribed as a terrorist organization by Western governments, HTS has sought to soften its image in recent years.
The government fell more than 13 years after Assad’s crackdown on anti-government protests ignited Syria’s brutal civil war, which has drawn in foreign powers as well as jihadists, and claimed more than half a million lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment