| Conference for Announcing the Victory of the Syrian Revolution | |
|---|---|
.png) Ahmed al-Sharaa, appointedPresident of Syria, addressing the conference | |
| Host country |  Syria |
| Date | 29 January 2025; 9 months ago (2025-01-29) |
| Cities | Damascus, Syria |
| Venues | Presidential Palace |
| Chair | Ahmed al-Sharaa |
TheSyrian Revolution Victory Conference, officially titled theConference for Announcing the Victory of the Syrian Revolution (Arabic:مؤتمر إعلان انتصار الثورة السورية), was held at thePresidential Palace inDamascus, Syria, on 29 January 2025. It was attended by the commanders of various armed revolutionary factions that fought for theSyrian opposition coalition against thedeposed regime ofBashar al-Assad, with the exception of theSyrian Democratic Forces, theSouthern Operations Room, and groups fromSuwayda. It was organized by theHay'at Tahrir al-Sham-ledSyrian caretaker government underde facto leaderAhmed al-Sharaa.
The meeting praised the successfulSyrian Revolution which resulted in thefall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024. In the conference,Military Operations Command spokesmanHassan Abdul Ghani announced that al-Sharaa had been appointed thepresident of Syria for the transitional period and laid out the new government's priorities, most of which involved eliminating traces of the deposed Ba'athist regime and rebuilding Syrian institutions.
On 8 December 2024, theAssad regime collapsed during amajor offensive byopposition forces. The offensive was led byHay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by theSyrian National Army as part of the ongoingSyrian civil war that began with theSyrian Revolution in 2011. Thecapture of Damascus marked the end of theAssad family's rule, which had governedSyria as a hereditary sectariantotalitarian regime sinceHafez al-Assad assumed power in 1971 following acoup d'état.[1]
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Al-Sharaa held a similar conference in Damascus in late December 2024, where various groups agreed to merge under theDefense Ministry.[2]
Those who were present at the December conference included:Fadlallah al-Haji, the head of theNational Front for Liberation,Azzam al-Gharib, the head of theLevant Front,Essam al-Buwaydhani, the head ofJaysh al-Islam, Al-Mutasim Abbas, the head of theMu'tasim Division, Muhammad al-Dairi, the head of theThird Legion of theSyrian National Army, Saleh Amouri, a leader in theNorthern Storm Brigade, Amer al-Sheikh, the head ofAhrar al-Sham, Abu Saleh Tahan, the head ofJaysh al-Ahrar, Mondher Saras, the head of theSham Legion, andAbu Hatem Shaqra, the head of theLiberation and Construction Movement.[3]Imad Abu Zureiq, Mohammad Mahameed, Abu Munther al Duhni and Abu Shareef al Mahameed, all of whom who had reconciled with the regime in 2018, were also present.[4] Al-Sharaa spoke withEssam al-Buwaydhani, the head ofJaysh al-Islam, and shook his hand, signaling a thaw in relations between the groups. Various rebel leaders from southern governorate Daraa were present, including Ali Bash, Abu Ali Mustafa,Abu Murshed and Abu Hayan Hit.[3] Some of the rebel figures who attended that meeting, including al-Gharib andMurhaf Abu Qasra, have been appointed to either political or military positions in the new administration.[4]
The head of theSouthern Operations Room,Ahmad al-Awda, did not attend.[5]
During the conference, al-Sharaa gave a brief speech, outlining the transitional government's immediate priorities which included: "filling the power vacuum, maintaining civil peace, building state institutions, building and developing the economy and restoring Syria's international and regional standing."[6]
Abdul Ghani announced that 8 December, the date of thefall of the Assad regime, would be declared anational day. He also announced "the abolition of the2012 Syrian constitution and the suspension of all exceptional laws", "the dissolution of thePeople's Assembly and its committees", "the dissolution of theformer regime's army and the establishment of anew army," the dissolution of the Ba'athist regime'sintelligence and security apparatuses, "along with ... the militias it established", "the dissolution of theSyrian Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and member parties of theNational Progressive Front bloc", "the dissolution of allarmed factions, political, and civilian revolutionary bodies, and their merger into state institutions", and the appointment ofAhmed al-Sharaa aspresident of Syria for thetransitional period, and the formation of theInterim Legislative Council until a "permanentconstitution" is approved and enacted.[6]
Al-Sharaa was appointed president by the Syrian General Command.[7] After his appointment as president, al-Sharaa, in his first address on 31 January 2025, stated that he would hold a "national dialogue conference" and issue a "constitutional declaration" to serve as a "legal reference" during the political transition following the dissolution of the 2012 Syrian constitution.[8] Al-Sharaa declared that he would "pursue the criminals who shed Syrian blood and committed massacres and crimes."[9]
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Those who were present at the conference included: Amer al-Sheikh, the head ofAhrar al-Sham and governor ofRif Dimashq, Ahmad Issa al-Sheikh, the head of theSuqour al-Sham Brigades and then-governor ofIdlib,Azzam al-Gharib, the head of theLevant Front and governor ofAleppo,Fadlallah al-Haji, the head of theSham Legion and chief of staff of theSyrian National Army,Sayf Bulad, the head of the Turkish-backedHamza Division,Abu Amsha, the head of the Turkish-backedSultan Suleiman Shah Brigade,Salem Turki al-Antri, the head of the US-backedSyrian Free Army,Jamil al-Saleh, the head ofJaysh al-Izza andAbu Hatem Shaqra, the head ofAhrar al-Sharqiya.[10] TheEighth Brigade fromDaraa was also present.[11] TheSouthern Operations Room, as well as local groups fromSuwayda and theSyrian Democratic Forces, were excluded.[10]
Groups that announced their pending dissolution included:Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham,Ahrar al-Sham,Jaysh al-Izza,Jaysh al-Nasr,Ansar al-Tawhid,Sham Legion,Jaysh al-Ahrar, theSuqour al-Sham Brigades,Jama'at Ansar al-Islam,Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria,Liwa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar,Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement, theLevant Front and theSyrian National Army.[12]
Al-Sharaa received congratulations from leaders of many countries, including Afghanistan,[13] Azerbaijan,[14] Canada,[15] Mauritania,[16] Russia,[17] Saudi Arabia,[18] and United Arab Emirates,[19] on his appointment as the president of Syria.[7] TheUnited Nations maintained a neutral stance, refusing to recognize the new Syrian leadership and emphasizing the importance of the transitional phase in accordance withUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.[20]
On 31 January 2025, the head of theSyrian Interim Government (SIG) innorthern Syria,Abdurrahman Mustafa, congratulated al-Sharaa on becoming president, it was also announced that the SIG would be at the disposal of thetransitional government.[21] On 17 February,Mazloum Abdi, leader of the Kurdish-led SDF, congratulated al-Sharaa on assuming the Syrian presidency and invited him to visit northeast Syria.[22] On 10 March, al-Sharaa signed an agreement with Abdi, integrating the SDF and itscivilian administration into the Syrian state.[23] The deadline for the merger has been set for the end of the year.[24]
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On 30 January 2025, a day after appointing al-Sharaa as president, Qatari EmirTamim bin Hamad Al Thani became the first head of state to visit Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime, discussing post-conflict reconstruction in Syria and other topics.[25]
In February 2025, the transitional government deployed its forces into areas under SIG control, as theSyrian National Army started to merge with the newly formedSyrian Army and began dismantling barracks and other military infrastructure.[26] However, the SNA is still activelyfighting against theSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF).[27] On 2 February, al-Sharaa and foreign ministerAsaad al-Shaibani visited Saudi Arabia and met with Saudi PrinceMohammed bin Salman.[28] This was al-Sharaa's firstforeign visit since the fall of the Assad regime.[29] Later, on 4 February, al-Sharaa visited Turkey as his second foreign visit and met with PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan.[30]
On 12 February, al-Sharaa held a phone call with Russian presidentVladimir Putin, in what was the latter's first contact with a Syrian head of state since Assad's overthrow.[31] On 17 February, al-Sharaa made his first official trip to the coastal provinces ofLatakia andTartus, which were once strongholds of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad.[32] On 26 February, al-Sharaa met withKing Abdullah II of Jordan inAmman during his third foreign trip.[33]
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