Falcon drones, rockets and night-vision snipers: How Syria’s rebels planned for years to oust Assad

Bel Trew speaks to commanders of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that led the charge to topple Bashar al-Assad, about the long-term planning and military innovations that brought victory – and about what comes next

Syrian rebels celebrate after the collapse of the government of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus (AP)

Locally made weaponry, including night-vision equipment, rocket systems, drones and armoured vehicles, was pivotal in the shock ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, top rebel commanders have revealed, as the interim government announced that rebel factions will dissolve and merge to form a new Syrian defence ministry.

In interviews with The Independent, senior figures from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – the Islamist opposition faction that led the charge – explained how they had planned the offensive for more than four years after devastating losses at the hands of the Assad regime in 2020 forced them to build a “new military doctrine” from scratch.

This shift involved a new weapons programme – including locally manufactured sniper systems that allowed them, for the first time, to fight at night – as well as uniting disparate groups into a formal military structure, encouraging defection from the regime, and meticulously planning for “the day after” the end of Assad.

Now, they are poised to reveal their new military structure, with the HTS chief who became the country’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa – also known as Mohammed al-Golani – saying on Tuesday that they had reached an agreement with disparate faction chiefs to consolidate under the defence ministry and build a new military together with those who defected from Assad’s forces.

HTS commanders told The Independent that for four years they shed “the mindset of the opposition or a militia” and adopted “the mindset of a state”, including the creation of outreach programmes to encourage regime soldiers to desert, defect, and enrol in a new military force; barring rebels from conducting revenge attacks; and training rebel forces into “a single institutional and national military body with a clear and well-studied plan”.

“The most important lesson we learnt was the revival of science within the military institution,” said Abu Hassan al-Hamawi, the head of HTS’s military council, speaking to The Independent from Latakia province, once a government stronghold.

There, he is now holding meetings with leaders from the Alawite sect, to which the Assad family belongs, with the aim of building a new state.

People gather during a celebration called by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham at Umayyad Square in Damascus after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad (Reuters)

One of the first military innovations was creating equipment that allowed them to fight at night, which “accelerated [the regime’s] collapse and disrupted [its forces’] ability to reorganise”.

Al-Hamawi explained that they also focused on producing armoured vehicles capable of operating in mountainous areas. They then manufactured mortar launchers and the 82mm and 120mm ammunition to be used with them.

“Additionally, we developed a rocket artillery system, producing rockets similar to the Katyusha [rocket artillery first used by the Soviet Union in the Second World War] in 114mm calibre, and further developed rockets with a 220mm calibre.”

Sheikh Shreeh al-Homsi, another senior figure from HTS’s military wing, said they also created Shaheen – or Falcon– drones, which they claim were more advanced than the government’s and could “target regime gatherings”.

After more than a decade of ferocious fighting and years of frozen battle lines, rebel forces led by the HTS, which was once aligned with al-Qaeda, succeeded in a stunning overthrow of the long-term autocracy earlier this month.

The rebels took control of Aleppo, Hama and Homs before heading to Damascus (The Independent/Datawrapper)

Syria’s interim prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, said last week that the new defence ministry would be restructured and would incorporate officers who had defected from Assad’s army.

Syria’s new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency that toppled Assad, as defence minister in the interim government. However, they face the daunting task of avoiding clashes between the myriad groups and keeping the peace in a deeply fractured and traumatised country.

There is still fighting in the northeast of the country between Turkish-backed opposition forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Al-Hamawi said that recruitment into the military and police force would be the first step to enhancing security, with a recruitment drive across different cities set to start in “the coming days”. All of this, Al-Hamawi stated, relies on bringing a fractured society together.

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa attends a meeting with former rebel faction chiefs on Tuesday (via Reuters)

“I am currently in Latakia province, where I have met with Alawite leaders and heads of institutions – most of whom are Alawites,” he said.

“Our general approach has been to enter these areas peacefully and avoid any talk of revenge. We aim to rebuild the social fabric that the regime fractured. Steps will be taken to restore this social cohesion so that security and public services can operate effectively for citizens’ needs.”

Syria’s battle lines had remained largely deadlocked, with Assad’s government crippling rebel forces for more than a decade with the support of Iranian and Russian forces.

There were fears that the war would drag on indefinitely until a lightning assault was launched in early December, resulting in the shock overthrow of the Assad family after more than half a century in power.

Rebel forces exploited a moment of weakness for the Assad regime, as its Russian backers were embroiled in a devastating war in Ukraine, Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah were reeling from recent conflict with Israel, and the country’s population was desperate for change after years of war, disappearances, and economic hardship.

Rebels in the Bab Touma neighbourhood of Damascus (Reuters)

But Al-Homsi said they did not solely “rely on external factors” but focused on a unified military command – ensuring that no isolated operations or instances of chaos “negatively impacted liberated areas”.

They also focused on immediate state-building, including instantly establishing institutions to engage with the local population, particularly minorities, in areas taken from the regime.

The next issue, HTS commanders say, is bringing Syria back into the global fold. HTS and other figures are now lobbying hard for countries like the US to drop its terrorist designations, which Al-Hamawi described as “unjust”.

“If we talk about terrorism, we only see it in the Assad regime. We need international support for rebuilding Syria and removing economic and political restrictions so that Syria can rebuild itself properly,” he said.

Another issue is neighbouring Israel, which has long been locked in battles with the Iran-backed militias that once propped up the Assad regime.

Israel has repeatedly bombed military infrastructure in Syria since Assad’s overthrow. Al-Hamawi said these actions had “no justification except to exploit Syria’s transitional phase”.

“We also call for Israel to withdraw from Syrian territories. Syria has suffered immensely over the past 14 years, and now we seek stability, security, and rebuilding.

“We want to focus on improving services, the economy, and people’s living conditions while maintaining their dignity and security.”