Syrian Islamic militants' leader Golani says goal is to topple Assad

ALEPPO,— Turkey-back Islamist forces in Syria have launched a fast-moving offensive aimed at toppling President Bashar al-Assad’s government, according to their leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, in an interview released on Friday.

The offensive, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as Al Nusra Front, has made significant gains in recent days.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Islamist militants are now on the brink of capturing the city of Homs, located in central Syria. The Islamist group has already taken control of Aleppo and Hama, two of Syria’s most strategically important cities.

These developments mark a significant shift, as it is the first time since the conflict began in 2011 that these cities have fallen out of Assad’s control.

If the Islamists succeed in capturing Homs, it could sever the link between Damascus, the capital, and the Mediterranean coast, which is a critical stronghold for the Assad regime. As of Friday, the rebel forces were reportedly only five kilometers from the city, as noted by the Observatory.

Al-Golani, leader of the HTS alliance, emphasized that the primary goal of the offensive is to end Assad’s rule.

“The goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime. We are entitled to use all available means to achieve this objective,” he told CNN in a recent interview. HTS, once closely linked to Al-Qaeda, has tried to reshape its image in recent years while maintaining its militant stance.

The recent rebel offensive began on November 27 and coincided with the withdrawal of Syrian and Iran-backed forces from the eastern region of Deir Ezzor. These forces reportedly moved toward central Syria, closer to Homs, according to the Syrian Observatory.

Meanwhile, Turkey, which has supported the Islamic opposition, announced that it would hold talks with Russia and Iran in Qatar to discuss the ongoing situation in Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope that the Islamists advance would proceed “without incident.”

The violence has triggered widespread displacement, with tens of thousands of Alawite civilians fleeing the city of Homs, fearing the advancing rebel forces.

According to the Syrian Observatory, the death toll from the offensive has reached 826 people, including 111 civilians. The United Nations warned that as many as 1.5 million people could be displaced by the fighting.

For those on the opposition side, this moment is seen as a long-awaited turning point. Yazan, a former activist who fled Syria years ago, told reporters that Syrians have been “dreaming of this for more than a decade.”

On the other hand, many in the Alawite community, which supports Assad, are terrified of the rebels’ progress. Haidar, a resident of a majority-Alawite neighborhood in Homs, described the situation as one of “extreme fear.”

The offensive has also sparked political shifts in Syria. Kurdish-led forces, which have been engaged in their own conflict with Assad’s government, said they were open to dialogue with both Turkey and the rebels, acknowledging that the situation has created a “new” political reality for the country.

In Hama, where intense street battles have been fought, the rebels declared the city “liberated” and posted footage of local residents celebrating and tearing down images of Assad and his father, Hafez, who oversaw a brutal military crackdown in the 1980s.

The Syrian army has since admitted its defeat in Hama but has claimed that the withdrawal is a “temporary tactical measure.”

Experts suggest that the fall of Hama is a significant blow to the Syrian government. While losing Homs would not necessarily mean the end of Assad’s rule, analysts argue that it would severely weaken his position.

Aron Lund, a fellow at the Century International think tank, said that losing control of Homs would cut off the crucial coastal route and could mark the collapse of Syria as a functioning state under Assad’s leadership.

(With files from AFP)