Published: January 2025
After leading the lightning campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, Syrian Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa immediately began working to form a unified national army, dismantle existing factions, and centralize all weapons under state authority, in an effort to address one of the most pressing challenges facing his administration.
Several initial steps have been completed, but significant milestones in this complex process remain pending. This article highlights current developments surrounding the formation of the new army, including progress to date and key challenges ahead.
The Military Landscape After the Regime’s Fall
The Assad regime collapsed, and its army and intelligence services, which had long formed the backbone of the state’s military power, disintegrated. The military landscape is now dominated by several armed blocs. The following are the groups that Damascus will need to either integrate, partially or fully, or deal with while building the new Syrian army.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by al-Sharaa, has emerged as the primary force directing military operations. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is organized into six brigades, in addition to special forces and elite units known as the “Red Gangs.”
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham supports the National Liberation Front (NLF), a coalition of various Islamist factions and remnants of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), originally founded by defected officers from the Syrian regime. The largest of its formations is the Sham Legion, whose fighters hail “mostly” from the countryside of Hama, Idlib, Latakia, and Aleppo.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies number approximately 40,000 fighters and were the main force that overthrew the Assad regime and seized control of most of Syria, with the exception of the eastern regions (held by the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF) and the south (Suwayda and Daraa).
The Syrian National Army
The Syrian National Army (SNA) is composed of a wide array of factions with diverse backgrounds. Some are Islamist-leaning, others are former units of the Free Syrian Army, and some are of Turkmen origin. Turkey has shaped the structure of the SNA and funds it from its own defense budget.
Factions of the Syrian National Army are currently participating in Operation Dawn of Freedom, which targets the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria.
Free Syrian Army
The Free Syrian Army (FSA), formerly known as Maghawir al-Thawra, is the smallest faction in terms of size and manpower. It is primarily based at the al-Tanf base, and its primary mission is to fight ISIS.
The group’s decision-making process is closely aligned with US priorities, and its leadership prefers to wait and see how events develop in Damascus before deciding whether to join the new army.
Syrian Democratic Forces
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) represent the largest military faction on Syrian soil (so large, in fact, that they can be described as an army in their own right). The SDF consists of more than 50,000 fighters, approximately 40% of whom are Kurds, while the rest are Arabs.
The SDF controls nearly a third of Syrian territory and enjoys strong support from the United States and, to a lesser extent, France. This international support has contributed to the group’s firmer conditions for joining the new national army.
The Eighth Brigade
The Eighth Brigade is one of the largest military formations in Daraa, comprising approximately 1,200 fighters under the command of Ahmed al-Awda. The brigade is considered an extension of the “Sunni Youth Brigade,” which was formed in 2012 to fight the forces of the ousted regime and its allied militias in Daraa In April 2018…