section_path: Syrian civil war/Fall of the Assad regime
section_name: Fall of the Assad regime
paragraph_text: Fall of the Assad regime
  
  In late November 2024, al-Sharaa led HTS in its Deterrence of Aggression offensive against the pro-Assad Syrian Arab Army.
  
  On 1 December 2024, the Al-Usbu' magazine reported unconfirmed allegations circulating in Arab media and social media that al-Sharaa had been killed in a Russian airstrike, but these allegations were refuted when al-Sharaa visited the Citadel of Aleppo on 4 December 2024, after its capture by his forces earlier that month. During the capture of Aleppo, al-Sharaa instructed his forces not to "scare children" and HTS channels broadcast footage of Christians in the city continuing their normal activities. Archbishop Afram Ma'lui stated that services would not be affected by the change in control. After regime forces were expelled from the city, al-Sharaa declared "diversity is a strength". HTS quickly established administrative bodies to restore basic services, including garbage collection, electricity, and water. The group's General Zakat Commission began distributing emergency bread supplies, while its General Organization for Grain Trade and Processing provided fuel to local bakeries. The Ministry of Development and Humanitarian Affairs reported delivering 65,000 loaves of bread under a campaign called "Together We Return".
  
  On 6 December, in a face-to-face interview with CNN, al-Sharaa declared that the offensive's goal was to remove Assad from power. Using his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, he explicitly pledged to protect minority groups, and outlined plans for establishing a government grounded in institutions and a "council chosen by the people". According to Dareen Khalifa of the International Crisis Group, al-Sharaa has considered dissolving HTS to strengthen civilian and military governance structures. He also expressed his intention to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homes.
  
  During its invasion of Syria in December 2024, Israel took control of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) buffer area, a move that violated the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.