Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the terrorist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group, was the target of an assassination attempt by poisoning during a tour in Syria's Idlib 10 days ago, sources told Al Mayadeen on Saturday.

Sources reported that al-Jolani experienced health problems that were initially concealed. It was later discovered that a toxic substance had been added to a drink he consumed during his tour. As a result, al-Jolani remained bedridden and under observation due to side effects from ingesting the poison.

Suspicion has fallen on a leader within the so-called Jaysh al-Ahrar faction, whom al-Jolani visited to urge his faction not to participate in the ongoing movement directed against him, the sources indicated.

According to the sources, al-Jolani’s security apparatus has launched extensive investigations into the assassination attempt, including with the owners of the locations the HTS leader visited during his tour in Idlib:

Why it matters?

Villages and towns of the Syrian Jabal al-Zawiya region, under the control of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, witnessed massive protests to reiterate popular demands to overthrow the leader of the terrorist militant group, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, and to hold him accountable.

The demonstrators also called for the dissolution of al-Jolani's so-called Security Apparatus, the release of detainees held in its prisons, and the establishment of an alternative governing council to manage the northwest region of Syria.

The center of the city of Idlib also saw similar protests, where participating religious figures emphasized the necessity of the people joining the demonstrations until Al-Jolani's ousting.

Areas in the countryside of Idlib and Western Aleppo have been witnessing daily protests for weeks following the arrest of hundreds of HTS members by al-Jolani's Security Apparatus, under the pretext of their collaboration with foreign parties.

The protesters are demanding the ousting of al-Jolani and the dissolution of his Security Apparatus due to the arrests and enforced disappearances of thousands, as well as the imposition of additional taxes, which has tightened the noose around the locals and deprived them of basic life necessities.