Rebel fighters in Syria 'are on the doorstep of their next big goal'
One group took Aleppo by surprise a week ago.
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Led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, one group - a jihadist rebrand of disparate militant groups plus the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army - has stunned the Syrian regime.
It appears dictator Bashar al-Assad has been taken by surprise by the attack, and his Russian allies seem not to have been able to hold back the latest uprising.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (or HTS) was originally Jabhat al-Nusra and was affiliated to al-Qaeda, and is led by Abu Muhammad al-Jolani - who is a veteran of the original 2011 uprising.
Assad would be right to fear the group, as it has (according to sources) been planning this sweep south of its northern strongholds for quite some time.
The Sunni group is said to have little terrorist ambition outside of Syria and is taking full advantage of Shia militancies Hezbollah and others’ concentration on war with Israel.
Iran has piled money into Hezbollah’s war, which has seen it virtually hollowed out by Israeli airstrikes, killing dozens of commanders, and claiming thousands of casualties.
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