The Islamic State of Syria? (Al Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Sham)

Sheri Laizer | Exclusive to iKurd.net

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa (Abu Mohamed al-Golani) has been given the green light by the West to continue to act as the victorious ruler of Syria.

The new emblem of Syria is now that of the golden eagle of the Islamic conquest of Greater Syria by Khalid ibn al-Walid from the battle of Thaniyat al-Uqab (Al Uquab, the Eagle’s) Pass against the Byzantine Army.

The Battle of Yarmouk of 636 achieved the Islamic conquest of the Levant. Westerners may not be aware of this symbolic historical connection. He was buried in a mosque named after him in Homs in 642 AD. He became one of the greatest heroes of Islamic history.

The name of the Muslim Commander, Khalid Ibn al-Walid, was also exploited by a Salafist group ideologically inclined towards ISIS that fought to bring down the government of Bashar al-Assad.

The Khalid Ibn al-Walid Army (Jaysh Khalid Ibn al-Walid) later became the Islamic State for Hawran and Daraa in southern Syria and was formed from the merger on May 21, 2016, of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade (Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk), the Muthanna Islamic Movement (Harakat al-Muthana al-Islamiya) and the Army of Jihad (Jaysh al-Jihad). 1

Jihadist ‘opposition’ groups had also formed a rival umbrella in the northwest of the country with its focus on Idlib. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had become the largest group in the amalgamation of jihadist forces. 2 HTS had effectively taken control of northwest Syria (Idlib) where it established the ‘Syrian Salvation Government’ in 2017 operating from the Al-Fath al-Mubeen (Great Victory) Operations Room it set up in 2019. It benefitted from Turkish support. In 2020 it rebranded as the Command of Military Operations. 3

Hassan Abdul Ghani, the spokesman of the Operations Room announced its objectives aiming a ‘pre-emptive strike against the Syrian regime forces.” It thereby breached the lines of contact between the two sides since the Turkish-Russian ceasefire agreement of March 2020. HTS had rejected the Astana negotiations between the Syrian government, rebel forces with Russian, Turkish and Iranian involvement as “conspiracy against the Syrian revolution.” Under the name “Operation Deterrence of Aggression” that was launched on November 27, 2024, the fall of the Assad government was realised under the auspices of the Operation Dawn of Freedom’.

Al-Sharaa’s administration continues to employ the same language in its official announcements. In referring to the ‘public’ behind the revolution, it also implies the Islamic community or Ummah.4

The meaning behind the change of the eagle symbol was verified by the HTS-controlled Ministry of Information. The eagle flies against an Islamic green background crowned by three five-pointed stars, symbolic of the five pillars of Islam.

Despite not being elected to the position of president, Al-Sharaa had also amended the Constitution back on March 1, 2025. A well-known Syrian lawyer, Ghazwan Kurunful, observed that “the heavy concentration of power in the hands of the president, who assumes the executive management of the country without being accountable for his actions and without the possibility of being questioned or held responsible as the head of the executive authority, constitutes a valid criticism… With this declaration, we are creating a Pharaoh.”

The lawyer had also pointed out that setting down the state religion as Islam contradicts the principle of equality among citizens as well as equal opportunities in holding public office.

The president was also accorded the right to declare a state of emergency by the constitution: The same right that was exploited under the Assad dynasty to rule the country under a perpetual state of emergency for the past 48 years.

Member of the General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council, Shelal Kado, objected that the constitutional declaration was written with a mentality based on one nation and one religion and did not guarantee the rights of the country’s various national and religious components.5

Al Sharaa and SDF Kurdish leader, Mazlum Abdi had signed a joint statement of agreement on key points back on March 10th, but as yet nothing has been implemented. A delegation from the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) arrived in Damascus for further talks on July 9th.

The revised national emblem purportedly emphasises the indivisible unity of the state and thereby rejects Kurdish autonomy or independence. Al-Sharaa’s regional backer, the Turkish Islamist president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long sought to destroy the DAANES autonomous region and has long since reached consensus with his Muslim Syrian ally.

The Damascus talks were arranged through the mediation of the Trump administration and Special Representative to Syria and Lebanon, Thomas Barrack and the French counterpart, Jean-Baptiste Faivre. PKK Media source ANF stated: The agreement includes guaranteeing all constitutional rights of the Kurds and integrating North-East Syrian military and civilian institutions into the Syrian Government. A further step in the rapprochement since March 10 was a meeting in Damascus on June 1, which resulted in the publication of a joint statement containing agreements on key points.

Influenced by Erdogan and the Saudi Crown Prince, Donald Trump unilaterally pledged to lift sanctions on HTS-run Syria. 7 However, Dr Neil Quilliam 8, a UK think tank Chatham House analyst, and the current CEO of UK-based Castlereagh Associates (consultancy) founded by former Saudi minister, Dr Adel al-Toraifi, recently opined concerning Trump’s declaration to lift sanctions on Syria that “only those imposed through executive orders (EOs) may easily be lifted by Trump.

These include EO 13894, which targeted those obstructing a political solution to the conflict, and EO 13572, which sanctions individuals involved in human rights abuses. The analyst noted that Congressional sanctions will be far harder to remove, such as those imposed under the Caesar Act. These are codified in US law and cannot be unilaterally repealed by the president. The Act targets entities that supported Assad, including foreign firms and individuals, and repealing or amending it requires Congressional approval.”

In fact, Quilliam had specifically emphasised the economic aspect in saying the lifting of sanctions “…will allow the unfreezing of Syria’s international assets, enable foreign businesses to re-enter key sectors such as construction, energy, and trade, and restore Damascus’s access to global financial systems and credit.”9

The UK’s ‘Special Relationship” with the US

With the UK following in Trump’s footsteps on Syria just as towards Gaza, Hezbollah and Iran’s role in Lebanon, the unpopular UK Foreign Minister, David Lammy, announced during a flying visit to Damascus last week that the UK would allocate al-Sharaa’s administration 95 million GBP of taxpayers’ money for reconstruction and recovery. Undoubtedly garnering business for UK companies as with the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq as a strong consideration.

Iraq’s pro-Iran militias are not in the fold

Iraqi pro-Iran Coordination Framework Shi’a MP, Hadi al-Salami, close to the Axis of Resistance (Muqawama) who had opposed al-Sharaa’s visit to Iraq during the Arab summit had told al-Ahd TV that he and other victims of terrorism would file cases in the Iraqi courts against al-Sharaa who when still going by his nom de guerre Abu Mohamad al-Golani.

Al Golani (Golani) had targeted and killed his elder brother, Ahmed Hassan al-Salami, in Latifiya, Baghdad, just before 2005 not long before al-Golani was arrested by the US military and sent to Camp Bucca. 10 There he stayed in a special camp with Al Qaeda and other Sunni combatant elements and was aided to climb the jihadist ladder by future ISIS leader, and governor (Emir) of Nineveh, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani (Fadel Abdullah al-Hiyali), considered to have been Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s right-hand man. Turkmani was killed by the Coalition forces in air strikes in Mosul between December 3-9, 2015. 11

According to Israel’s Channel 12 and Kan News, current discussions regarding a Damascus-Tel Aviv normalisation agreement have involved implementing a security agreement under which the Syrian leadership will help Israel fight Hezbollah and act against the influence of Iran.

The United States is strongly pushing for this and for Hezbollah’s disarmament. Trump held a victory dinner in Washington with Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel has gratefully also issued a commemorative Trump-Netanyahu coin of victory to the dismay of those that condemn the ongoing genocide in Gaza and almost daily attacks on Lebanon despite a ‘ceasefire’ and Hezbollah’s no strike stance.

According to Al Jazeera, “The US and Israel have chosen to interpret the ceasefire as contingent on Hezbollah’s complete disarmament in the entirety of the country… Over the past two years, Israel has waged war on Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, with full US support…Developments have often been touted as victories against Iran and its allies in the region… Few in Hezbollah or among their supporters believe the group should disarm as long as Lebanese territory is under occupation or attack.12

On July 8th, Israel targeted an alleged Hamas operative in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli (Tarablus) in a double drone strike killing three people and wounding 13 others near the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp.13 Thomas Barrack, the US Special Envoy to Syria and Ambassador to Turkey had been in Lebanon at the time, charged with furthering the US demand for Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah. He met with Jospeh Aoun, the new president at the Baabda Presidential Palace on July 7th, 2025. Aoun presented him with Lebanon’s own demands.

While Israel claimed to have killed Hamas commander, Mehran Mostafa Baajour, Palestinian sources claim he survived. Instead, those killed in the second drone strike that blew up a car were a Syrian national, Ali Hamawi, and a father of four, Omar Zahra, a garage owner who worked near the site of the explosion. His son lost a hand but survived.

Another youth lost an eye. 14 The strikes follow the same pattern as has been evident since the ‘ceasefire’ with Lebanon of November 27, 2024, and came even as Gaza truce talks continued in Washington between Trump and Netanyahu. Trump claims yet again a deal on Gaza is near. Other voices are less convinced.15 Lebanon is still enduring a low intensity but devastating war. Clashes had also previously occurred between February and March on the Lebanese-Syrian border between Sunni HTS militants and Lebanese Shi’a tribesmen. The fighters had gone across the border as well as attacking with rockets, artillery and anti-tank missiles.16

Al Sharaa’s circle is said to oppose normalisation with Israel. The Times of Israel wrote:

The resistance to a peace deal stems primarily from two factors, the sources say. First, the regime would face difficulty justifying such an agreement while the war in Gaza continues and amid widespread Arab condemnation of Israeli military actions.

Second, pro-Turkish elements within Al-Sharaa’s inner circle fear that normalization would place Syria under significant Israeli and Saudi influence, marginalizing Ankara’s role in the region. 17

Twenty plus years since 9/11

The Westpoint think tank reflecting on twenty years since 9/11 stressed in a policy paper:

Two decades later, the challenge posed by jihadi terrorism and ideology has never been more diverse, globally distributed, better experienced, or present in so many conflict theaters. Far from defeating terrorism, we have won many battles, but we are losing the war.

This is a story of al-Qa`ida in Syria and how an affiliate’s (Jabhat al-Nusra/JFS) finally HTS) pursuit of self-preservation catalyzed its eventual exit from the global movement and evolution into something altogether new. Through its embrace of local jihad, or ‘revolutionary Islamism,’ HTS has broken many taboos within the salafi-jihadi world but created a modus operandi now being replicated in the Middle East, Africa, and further afield.

With a semi-technocratic governing body and an active desire to engage external actors, HTS seeks legitimacy, but remains autocratic and politically authoritarian.18

“A victory for the Muslim Ummah”

I am not sure whether Donald Trump paid any attention to this or used his judgment when he summed up Ahmed al-Sharaa as a “great, young, attractive tough guy… with a strong past “and how he spoke with President Erdogan emphasising, “who I am very friendly with and who feels he has a shot at it…”.19

The conditions set by Trump so as to achieve the full lifting of sanctions include – expressed in typical Trump blunt lingo:

• Sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel
• Tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria
• Deport Palestinian terrorists
• Help the United States prevent the resurgence of ISIS
• Assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in northeast Syria.20

Ahmed al-Sharaa may have smiled and nodded to the old man in agreement, but implementation of such conditions would have an extreme impact at a critical time on Syria’s internal and external relations. It would also derive from a highly conservative religious man who claimed in his victory speech from the Umayyad Mosque that the toppling of Bashar al-Assad was a victory for the Muslim Ummah. 21

POSTSCRIPT

In mid-July 2025, the new administration in Damascus altered the usage of the Opera House to one for Friday prayers. It subsequently closed the doors of the al-Kindi Cinema.

Protestors held placards outside the venue demanding that it be re-opened. The regime stated the premises would become a cultural centre: one can anticipate that if such goes ahead it will have an Islamic orientation.

Sheri Laizer, a Middle East and North African expert specialist and well known commentator on the Kurdish issue. She is a senior contributing writer for iKurd.net. More about Sheri Laizer see below.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.

Copyright © 2025 Sheri Laizer, iKurd.net. All rights reserved

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