Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) emerged from Al-Qaeda’s Syrian faction and other Islamic groups, recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the US. Initially, HTS engaged in violent actions during the Syrian civil war, aiming to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and remove Iranian militias supporting him. The name ‘Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’ translates to ‘Organization for the Liberation of the Levant,’ encompassing Syria, Lebanon, and other Middle Eastern countries.