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Ahmed Al-Sharaa of Syria

  • Writer: Hassan Azam
    Hassan Azam
  • Aug 28
  • 3 min read

Updated: Aug 31

(Omar Ramadan/Unsplash)
(Omar Ramadan/Unsplash)

After twenty four years of power, Bashir Al-Assad was removed from power in 2024. Demonstrations against Al-Assad in 2011 would lead to the death of over two hundred thousand civilians. After thirteen years of conflict, Al-Assad was finally overthrown by ex-Al-Queda member Ahmed Al-Sharaa. This has raised the question to whether he is a valuable, or vulnerable asset to western powers such as the United States.


Who is Ahmed Al-Sharaa?


Ahmed al-Sharra was born in Saudi Arabia to a family whose origin stems from the Golan Heights, which is currently occupied by Israel. When the U.S invaded Iraq in 2003, al-Sharra joined Al-Qaeda and fought against U.S forces as a foot soldier. He was later captured and detained in Abu Ghraib prison until 2007 where he was released.


After release al-Sharra found an affiliate Al-Queda group, Al-Nusrat Front, in Syria. However, after falling out with the Al-Qaeda leader at the time he would rebrand his group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) headquartered in the Northern part of Syria.


An altercation between Turkey’s president Recep Erdogan and Syria's Al-Assad between Syrian immigration to Turkey led to Erdogan forming an alliance with Al-Sharaa and other rebel groups opposed to the Al-Assad regime. In 2018, the U.S sent missile strikes on ISIS fighters and Syrian chemical weapon facilities. These events would slowly weaken and cripple Assad's power until 2024 when Al-Sharaa would topple the Al-Assad regime once and for all.


How does he play a role in the Middle East?


Al-Sharaa has received large amounts of support from its neighbors such as Saudi Arabia who offered to rebuild Syria and clear Syria’s national debt. Turkey and Syria began negotiating a defense pact between Turkish air bases within Syria and Turkish-led training of a new Syrian army. Even more intriguing, is the historic meeting between Al-Sharaa and U.S president Donald Trump. This was the first diplomatic meeting between a U.S. president and a Syrian leader since the 1990s. Trump additionally removed all sanctions on Syria.


Since the transfer of power from the Assad regime to the government of Al-Sharaa global attitudes have noticeably shifted greatly. With largely consolidated western support and support from Turkey it seems highly unlikely that Syria will develop ties with Iran as was done during the Al-Assad regime. Assad’s regime was largely supported by the Iranian government through security and intelligence services to assist the Syrian military to preserve Al-Assad’s power during the Syrian civil war. Syria was largely used by Iran to secure its own interests in the region. During the Assad regime, Syria was a key point of connecting Hazbullah, a Lebanese Iranian proxy to the Iranian mainland. Additionally, Syria during Al-Assad proved to be an effective buffer from Israel and the United States. With the fall of the Al-Assad regime, Iran has lost critical power in the Middle East. Economically, Iran’s alliance with Assad gave it valuable access to Syria’s markets, reconstruction contracts, and regional trade routes. Iran secured itself deals in energy, construction and telecommunications. Additionally, Iranian investments in Syrian infrastructure and oil facilities strengthen its economic foothold in the Levant. This ensured long-term influence and profits while keeping allied supply lines to Hezbollah open.


South of Syria rests the Jewish state of Israel. Almost a year before the Syrian regime change, Israel launched an invasion of the Gaza strip after the October twenty-seventh attack. Al-Assad who was a staunch Israeli misanthrope and had engaged in military confrontation in the past. During the Six-Day war, Israel had occupied the Golan heights even though Syria claims it as its own. Israel has effectively annexed the region since the 1980s. With Assad out of the picture, there is a chance of Syria normalizing ties with the Israeli government. Al-Sharaa himself privately expressed willingness to join the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel.


Perspectives on Al-Sharaa


Although some may be skeptical of Al-Sharaa due to his past affiliations with terrorist groups like al-Qaeda, others argue that he could be a key asset to the United States, hence why President Trump engaged with the Syrian leader early on. If the United States decides to further support the new incoming government this could prove increased American influence in the region. With the weakening of Huzbuallah, the Iranian proxy group in Lebanon, and the war against Hamas the Iranian proxy in the Gaza strip, Iran’s influence in the Middle East has been reduced astronomically.


While Al-Sharaa and his government may proceed to normalize relations with the West, various other groups have criticized Al-Sharaa’s and HTS’s leadership for “undermining the jihad” by working with foreign western governments for political objectives. With such criticisms mixed with past precedence in the Middle East, there is room for political insurgency or discontent from various groups within Syria.


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