Al-Jolani threatens to use force in protests, warns of 'red lines'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
13 Mar 2024 16:45

During a talk, al-Jolani put out implicit threats against protesters calling for his overthrow in Idlib, Syria, dismissing several key demands.

Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, head of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a terror organization in Syria, speaks during a press conference in the area of Bab-al Hawa crossing northern Syria late on March 12, 2024. (AFP)

The leader of the terror organization Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, said that the demands of protesters "are not permissible in the time being" for implementation, indicating that there are "red lines that no one should reach."

Al-Jolani said that the HTS will intervene to protect the areas that it controls, demanding that "destabilizing" protests be stopped.

The leader of the terror organization, which controls several areas in northern Syria, including Idlib, made his remarks during a talk he called for, in the presence of hundreds of militants and residents of Idlib on Tuesday.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of ongoing protests in Idlib and other towns under HTS control, demanding the release of several HTS militants who were arrested by the organization's "General Security" apparatus. Headlining the demonstrations are calls for the overthrow of al-Jolani.

Al-Jolani's talk, in which he addressed the demonstrations, was laidend with threats against protesters providing no real solution to the demands of the residents of Idlib.

"There is no dispute over authority in Idlib," al-Jolani said, dismissing clear calls for his overthrow.

The terror leader demanded that protesters not "return to square one," indicating that after this conference, the HTS hopes that the issues that prompted the protests would have been resolved, and that "going back [to square one] is a red line for the organization."

Activists considered al-Jolani's statements and his implicit threats during the conference as "a green light for his security apparatus to use violence" against them if chants demanding his resignation are repeated in the upcoming Friday protests.

Al-Jolani's attempts to cool down protests fail

Earlier on March 8, the HTS released one of its prominent leaders, Abu Maria al-Qahtani, after 8 months of detention on charges of treason, however, the action did not resonate with protesters who took to the streets demanding the release of others and the overthrow of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.

Demonstrators took to the streets in the center of Idlib and the countryside of northwestern Aleppo, demanding that the "General Security" apparatus be dissolved and that all detainees taken into custodee by the HTS apparatus be released.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported on mass protests in the towns of al-Atrab and Darat Izza to the west of the city of Aleppo, adding that these protests also demanded the overthrow of HTS terror group chief, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.

The protests were called for following the Friday prayers, as action against al-Jolani takes momentum around HTS-controlled areas. HTS terrorists shot at a group of protesters in Hazano and have intensified their actions against demonstrators in the past few days. Others headed toward al-Qahtani's residence in Sarmada, hours after his release.

The judicial committee appointed by al-Jolani decided to release the second man in the HTS, Maysar al-Juburi, known as Abu Maria al-Qahtani, after "failing to prove the charges of treason and conspiracy with external parties against the organization."

According to the judicial committee's statement, all the testimonies of the detainees were mere fabrications. His release came amid tensions and protests in al-Jolani's areas of influence and the strife within the organization. Others remain detained as the power struggle over the terror-controlled city of Idlib continues to play out.