Divisions emerge among Syrian rebels, days after removal of Assad

Tensions have emerged between Syria’s new Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) rulers and other rebels, sources told The National on Thursday. The cracks could undermine a transition to a new government after the rebels brought down the dictatorship of Bashar Al Assad. The Assad regime, which was dominated by the Alawite minority who ruled Sunni-majority Syria for six decades, collapsed after HTS swept through Syria’s main urban centres on a march south from Turkey in the last two weeks. HTS is an Al Qaeda offshoot listed as a terrorist group by the US.