ALWAGHT- UK diplomats have engaged in talks with the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the militant group that recently toppled the government of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, amid widespread claims of Western and Israeli backing.
Photographs released by HTS's military operations department showed a meeting between Mohammed al-Jolani, leader of the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and senior British officials in Damascus on Monday. Among the British delegation was Ann Snow, the UK's special envoy to Syria. HTS claimed the discussions focused on "the latest developments" in Syria.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy recently confirmed that the UK had initiated diplomatic contact with HTS despite its designation as a terrorist organization in Britain. Lammy explained that these contacts aim to support the establishment of a representative government in Syria and to secure chemical weapons stockpiles. He emphasized the UK’s commitment to an "inclusive, Syrian-led transitional political process."
Al-Jolani, founder of the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda and former deputy commander of ISIS, has called on the West to lift sanctions on Syria and rejected the terrorist label for HTS, arguing that the group only conducts military activities. The UK’s engagement with HTS has drawn significant attention, as the group remains blacklisted as a terrorist organization.
HTS militants recently launched a major offensive, capturing several key Syrian cities, including Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Dara’a, and Suwayda, before seizing control of Damascus on December 8. This rapid campaign followed the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government, marking a significant shift in the Syrian conflict.
