The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which holds military control in Idlib, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, stated that most of the protesters’ demands in the region have been met, except for a few, but these demands have strayed from their real course. He issued this warning without addressing the ongoing calls for his resignation that have been active for about three months.

He noted that the demands have evolved into a state of disruption of public interests, using methods that lead to disruption of institutional and public life. This occurred during his meeting with dignitaries and religious figures from Idlib on Wednesday, May 15.

Al-Jolani added that Tahrir al-Sham had previously warned that any encroachment on public interests and standards is a “crossing of red lines,” and that the authorities would act to address this matter, indicating the forceful dispersal of a protest tent in central Idlib on May 13.

He considered that the disruption of interests, blocking roads, disturbing the public, using profanity, and carrying weapons in demonstrations, have exceeded their natural limits. He claimed that the exploitation of people’s rightful demands by parties and factions to settle scores and attempt revenge, and the idea that the region could revert to factionalism, “is impossible,” according to him.

Al-Jolani stated that Idlib has entered a new phase, and it is necessary for “the liberated [area] to be orderly again.” He declared the time for demands over and would not allow a return to chaos and fragmentation. He mentioned that Tahrir al-Sham used “the language of dialogue” during the past three months and has 50 cards (options) it has not deployed yet.

According to al-Jolani, some people’s grudges drove them to sacrifice the entire area, asserting that “those who do not consider the liberated area important, we consider them insignificant, and we will not relent against any individual or group or party or faction that wishes to harm the liberated area,” adding that the people of Idlib are not an experiment for anyone.

Al-Jolani’s remarks came a day after an incident where elements belonging to Tahrir al-Sham assaulted protesters in a protest tent in central Idlib with their hands and sticks, fired shots into the air, and dismantled the tent.

The assault on the protesters elicited widespread reaction among media, religious, and military figures in Idlib, with general condemnation of the way it was handled irrespective of the reasons.

On its part, the Ministry of Interior in the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) stated that the aggression began with the protesters assaulting dignitaries in the region, followed by intervention from the General Security Service.

Since February 26, the popular movement demanding al-Jolani’s ouster and rejecting the policy of monopolizing decisions has continued, led by civilian activists and supported by military and legal figures, particularly after the exposure of torture in Tahrir al-Sham’s prisons at the time.