Syrian conflict: Rebel leader uses real name for first time in official message
Syrian conflict
Syrian rebel chief Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, sent an official message Thursday using his real name for the first time after his fighters seized the strategic city of Hama.
"We congratulate the people of Hama for their victory," said the message, bearing an image of Jolani and signed "Commander Ahmed al-Sharaa".
The message was posted on the Telegram channel of rebel factions' leadership, created just days after the offensive began on November 27.
In an interview in 2021 with American public broadcaster PBS, Jolani confirmed his real name was Ahmed al-Sharaa, and said his more frequently used nom de guerre was a reference to his family origins in Syria's Golan Heights.
Israel seized much of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and later annexed it in a move largely unrecognised by the international community.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
Jolani, born in 1982, told PBS his grandfather was displaced from the Golan when the Israeli army entered the area.
The apparent switch in names comes as his fighters seize control of swathes of Syrian territory from the government, including the key cities of Aleppo and Hama.
Watch |Syrian Conflict: Rebel Factions Enter Hama, Oust Pro-govt Forces From Key City | World News | WION
HTS has sought to moderate its image in recent years, including by cutting ties with its one-time sponsor Al-Qaeda, but experts say it faces an uphill battle convincing Western governments it has fully renounced hardline jihadism.
HTS says it no longer has any links to Al-Qaeda after severing them in 2016, five years into Syria's civil war.
It took on its current name the following year, arresting Al-Qaeda and Islamic State group jihadists, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.
But it remains blacklisted by the United States and the European Union.
Several experts have warned the group has not fundamentally broken with its past despite its rebranding.
On Wednesday, images posted on HTS's Telegram channel showed the bearded Jolani waving to supporters from an open-top car as he visited Aleppo's landmark citadel.
Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WIONaudience.
