Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Controls Syrian transitional government

The United States began bombing ISIS targets in Syria in September 2014. Eleven years later, Washington announced it will withdraw all remaining troops within two months—ending a ground presence that once numbered over 2,000 soldiers. The withdrawal follows a series of changes: Assad's fall in December 2024, the rise of an HTS-led government, and an agreement integrating American Kurdish allies into Syria's national army.

Updated May 29

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Transitioned to state power under Ahmed al-Sharaa

The five-hour meeting collapsed on January 20. Syrian President al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi met in Damascus for the highest-level direct talks since the January 18 ceasefire.

Updated May 20

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Dissolved January 2025, integrated into state institutions

On December 8, 2024, Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed after an 11-day offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, ending the 53-year dynasty. Regime forces simply melted away, and Assad fled to Moscow. On January 7, 2025, a Qatar Airways flight landed in Damascus, the first international arrival in 13 years, as the new transitional government began the monumental task of rebuilding a shattered nation.

Updated May 19

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Controls Damascus, leading Syria's transitional government

A lone ISIS gunman killed two Iowa National Guardsmen and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, 2025—the first American combat deaths since Bashar al-Assad fled the country a year earlier. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded with Operation Hawkeye Strike.

Updated May 16