‘How we took down Assad’: Islamist rebels’ navy chief reveals how they deliberate to topple dictator – from unifying factions, creating drone squadron and ‘assist’ from Putin

A military chief has revealed the year-long plan hatched by Syrian rebels to topple the regime of Bashar Al-Assad.

Abu Hassan al-Hamwi, the head of the military wing of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said preparations to ‘deterring aggression’ or removing Assad from power were years in the making, including uniting opposition groups and creating a drone unit.

The group had used a doctrine to take advantage of a disorganised opposition and convert fighters to its unified cause since 2019.

After a successful push back operation in the north western province of Idlib, the rebels had been confined in a small area of land following a stalemate in 2020, from where it launched its attack this month.

Al-Hamwi, who has led the group’s military division for five years, told the Guardian the rebels developed their forces having ‘studied the enemy thoroughly’ and analysing opposition tactics.

Inviting rival opposition factions to come its umbrella, the rebels took down dissidents, including the more radical Hurras al-Din, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda.

Also in 2019, the rebels began pouring resources into creating a drone unit to rival Assad’s air force, including reconnaissance drones, attack drones and suicide drones – with a new model named by Al-Hamwi as the ‘Shahin’, meaning falcon, drone.

HTS also organised an ‘operations room’ to unite commanders from 25 rebel groups in the south and enable them to coordinate their actions.

Together, forces planned to approach the capital, Damascus, from both the north and the south where they would meet and take control of the country.

Spurred by a desire to halt neighbouring powers, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, from normalising relations with the Assad regime, and with the president’s staunchest ally, Russia, occupied by events in Ukraine, HTS decided to strike in November. 

On November 29, the rebels shocked the world by taking Aleppo – the nation’s second largest city that took Assad four years to seize – within days.

The group saw Aleppo as the key to unlocking the rest of the country. 

‘We had a conviction, supported by historical precedent, that ‘Damascus cannot fall until Aleppo falls’, said Al Hamwi.

Just four days later, opposition forces in the north took the city of Hama before marching on Homs.

Despite having agreed to wait until Homs was captured before starting their own offensive, rebels in the south, but started sooner, according to a leader of the Operations Room to Liberate Damascus, Abu Hamzeh.

By December 8, Assad fled the country as rebel forces took control of the capital, bringing an end to the 61-year-old Baath regime.

With the military operation complete, Al Hamwi said he would transfer into a civilian role helping to rebuild the country.

Addressing fears that the group would come under pressure from Islamist extremist to impose extreme dogma, he said: ‘We affirm that minorities in Syria are part of the nation and have the right to practice their rituals, education, and services like every other Syrian citizen.’

It comes at HTS’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has sought to depict the group as moderate and inclusive.

The UK Government is still considering whether to delist HTS as a proscribed terrorist organisation, amid concerns around the group’s links to Al-Qaeda.

Sir Keir Starmer told reporters on a visit to the Middle East it was ‘far too early’ to make a decision on the matter.

His comments came despite a suggestion from cabinet minister Pat McFadden that a ‘swift decision’ could be made on lifting the ban.