UK government sets to review proscription of HTS after Assad ouster

Britain may consider reassessing the proscribed status of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group that has played a prominent role in the Syrian opposition forces responsible for ousting President Bashar al-Assad

Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Pat McFadden, a senior British minister, noted that the government would evaluate the situation depending on future developments in Syria.

“We will consider that. And I think it will partly depend on what happens (next),” he said when asked if the designation of HTS as a terrorist organization could be revisited.

HTS, formerly an affiliate of al-Qaeda, is currently designated as a terrorist organization in the UK. Under its proscribed status, it is illegal to support or join the group.

Britain’s decision will likely hinge on HTS’s actions and the group’s role in Syria’s political transition and stabilization efforts moving forward.

The Muslim Parrot reported that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad collapsed, with opposition forces announcing that the embattled leader had fled the country following weeks of intense clashes with pro-government forces.

Opposition factions declared Syria “free,” describing al-Assad as a “tyrant” and marking the event as the dawn of a new era.

“It is the end of a dark era and the beginning of a new one,” HTS stated via Telegram.

The group further called on displaced citizens and former prisoners of the regime to return, promising a “new Syria” where “everyone lives in peace and justice prevails.”

Bashar al-Assad rose to power in July 2000, succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly three decades.