Just hours before the fall of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Free Syrian Army took off from the US military base in al-Tanf, heading towards the city of Homs, and then to the capital, Damascus, followed by other military factions, until it was announced from the capital that the regime had fallen.
After the regime’s fall, the Free Syrian Army did not return to its starting point but took control of other areas that were previously under regime control in eastern Homs governorate, such as the cities of Palmyra and Sukhnah.
The US-backed Syrian faction released pictures in December 2024 showing the activity of its forces in several areas, most notably the city of Palmyra.
The commander of the Free Syrian Army, Colonel Salem al-Antari, told the Emirati newspaper “The National” on Thursday, January 23, that his forces are indeed facing an expansion of the territory under their control after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
He added that the Syrian manpower is capable and has sufficient training and experience in the military sector, but the technological superiority enjoyed by the International Coalition has affected and destroyed the Islamic State in Syria, in addition to the efforts of the Syrians.
Al-Antari also mentioned to the Emirati newspaper that any US withdrawal would affect his fighters’ ability to combat the Islamic State since they rely on US airstrikes and drone surveillance and other superior military technology to identify the locations of Islamic State cells roaming the desert.
He pointed out that the Islamic State’s cells still exist despite the comprehensive defeat inflicted on the group in Syria in 2019.
He also added that the US withdrawal from Syria “will not only be impactful but will also be devastating. Losing this advantage means we will lose our ability to control, and we will be surprised that the (Islamic State) group will become stronger.”
Al-Antari also stated that the new government “struggles to control matters; they are doing their utmost, but they do not have a magic wand that enables them to finish everything within a week.”
He added that if there were a US withdrawal, local fighters would lose air superiority, aerial control, surveillance, and the ability to conduct precise and destructive strikes against any gathering of the Islamic State group.
He noted that the remnants of the group that are still active in the Syrian desert might exploit any leftover weapons and military equipment in the vast areas, while his forces do not possess the full means to pursue them.
Focus on the Islamic State
In a previous talk with Enab Baladi, Colonel al-Antari stated that the Free Syrian Army emerged from the al-Tanf base with the principle of protecting civilians, mitigating the threat posed by the Islamic State group, and cutting off its movement routes.
He added that the Islamic State cells aimed to exploit the withdrawal of the ousted regime forces from the central region and to move with the goal of seizing weapons and equipment that the ousted regime left behind, as well as those left by allied militias and Russian forces in the area, prompting the Free Syrian Army to act to prevent them.
He pointed out that the Free Syrian Army is now deployed over large areas of eastern Homs countryside and the Syrian desert, and that there are also some military forces deployed in the city of Palmyra.
Al-Antari said, “As long as we have the mission of fighting the Islamic State, our weapons are present to combat it and to protect civilians,” and emphasized that the Free Syrian Army and its weapons stand by those who want to fight the group and protect Syria from its threat, which is the focus of the faction today, as he expressed.
Agreement with Damascus
The Free Syrian Army has returned to the political forefront in Syria, confirming that it has no problem with the new Syrian administration, after it participated in battles that led to the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024.
The commander of the Free Syria Army appeared on January 10 in photos published by the Syrian official news agency (SANA) that claimed they were from an organizational session held by the Ministry of Defense with military leaders to begin the process of integrating factions into the Ministry of Defense.
Al-Antari had previously mentioned, on January 3, to the American magazine “Newsweek,” that he had not received an invitation to attend a factions meeting that was held to integrate them into the new Syrian army.
The Free Syrian Army was established in the early years of the Syrian revolution, arising from a group of defected officers and soldiers, initially known as the “New Syrian Army” before becoming known as the “Revolutionary Commando Army,” and recently as the “Free Syrian Army.”
The name of this local Syrian faction has always been associated with the International Coalition Forces (ICF) stationed at the al-Tanf military base in eastern Homs since 2015, where its fighters have been deployed at the base and its surroundings, with no significant military activity except for some sporadic training alongside US forces.