Sectarian Strife in Post-Assad Syria: The Role of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham

 

The overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad should have brought peace alongside reconstruction initiatives to Syria. The ascendancy of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham under leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani has deepened religious differences which produces an endless pattern of hatred and violence in Syria.

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Throughout March 2025 the Syrian coastal areas experienced their worst sectarian conflict to date. The response from Sunni militant groups resulted in the death of more than 1,000 civilians mostly from Alawite population sectors. During these attacks members of the security forces conducted searches through neighborhoods till they found people they targeted according to their religious background then executed them.

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A UN human rights office reported that families experienced death as security forces executed targeted operations that mainly resulted in casualties of women along with children. The statistical number of 111 civilian fatalities is likely too low considering many unrecorded incidents in the turbulent conflict zone. These assaults demonstrate how religious conflicts intensified because of the power void formed when Assad departed his position.

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Al-Jolani has evolved through a series of changes which saw him transition from leading al-Qaeda affiliates to heading HTS. HTS continues to demonstrate contradictory behavior while attempting to display moderate revolutionary values to the world. The rapid seizure of Syrian major urban areas by HTS has done nothing to reduce concerns about its acceptance of diversity and protection of minority groups.

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The worldwide community continues with a degree of wariness when interacting with HTS. HTS has faced continued international sanctions together with the inability to remove its terrorist classification due to its past and current behavioral patterns. UN Syria envoy stated the removal of HTS's terrorist classification will depend on its progress toward designing inclusive governance and minority protection.