Syrians gather to mark the anniversary of the “Operation to Deter the Enemy,” which resulted in the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, carrying Syrian flags and chanting slogans emphasizing the unity and integrity of the country in Latakia, Syria on November 28, 2025. [Şevket Akça – Anadolu Agency]
November 28, 2025
Thousands of people across Syria held rallies on Friday to mark the first anniversary of the launch of a military operation that led to the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Demonstrators filled central squares in cities nationwide, emphasizing national unity and the country’s territorial integrity, Anadolu reports.
In Aleppo, large crowds gathered in main squares, waving Syrian flags and chanting slogans calling for a united and democratic future. Protesters carried signs rejecting division and separatist agendas, underscoring the need to safeguard Syria’s social cohesion.
Participants said the gatherings aimed to highlight the importance of protecting Syria’s territorial unity and strengthening collective solidarity after more than a decade of war.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa congratulated the Syrian people Thursday on the anniversary of the military campaign, inviting citizens to celebrate what he called a “historic victory.”
Syrian president rejects calls for separation, federalism, says coastal region remains ‘priority’
In a statement published on the presidency’s social media account, Sharaa described the day as “the beginning of the struggle that liberated all of Syria” and urged the public to celebrate the anniversary with enthusiasm.
“Dear people of Syria, today we mark the anniversary of the great deterrence war in which the former regime, with all its oppressive structures, was overthrown and our country was freed from its chains,” he said.
Calling on all segments of society, regardless of ethnic or religious differences, to gather in public squares, Sharaa urged Syrians to “demonstrate their commitment to the great struggle for freedom and show strong national unity.”
“On this great occasion, I invite all components of the Syrian people to take to the squares and streets to express the joy of this great victory and to demonstrate national solidarity, national unity, the territorial integrity of Syria, and the unity of the homeland. Long live free Syria,” he added.
Opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a major offensive from Idlib into Aleppo province, which was under the control of the Assad regime at the time. The surprise operation resulted in the rapid capture of Aleppo and ultimately the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024.
Democratic option in Syria
Establishing a system based on democratic, decentralized, federal, autonomous or strengthened local governments is the most realistic option.
Establishing a system based on democratic, decentralized, federal, autonomous or strengthened local governments is the most realistic option.
ZEKİ BEDRAN
ANF
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
The Turkish state insistently wants a centralized nation-state structure in Syria. As it is known, the Baath regime also dominated an extremely centralized state structure. The single-party system did not allow opposition and differences to exist. This structure was essentially a fascist regime in which the people could not breathe. While these facts are in the middle, what could be the reason why Turkey wants a monolithic, rigid central state structure? Of course, to prevent the Kurdish people from having a status! Syria is wanted to be put into a more oppressive and dark tunnel than the Baath regime so that the Kurds do not see their mother and have no status.
HTS is ideologically sectarian, based on religion and against democracy. He has a monistic mindset that sees differences as a threat and does not give them a chance to survive. It is closed to an egalitarian and pluralistic political structure. It is based on allegiance instead of freedoms. He massacres those who do not obey, as he did with Alevis and Druze. It has adopted as a policy to bring the society to suffocation by taking some outdated discourses as a reference and to destroy those who are not themselves by issuing fatwas saying that murder is mandatory.
LET'S REMEMBER THE BAATH PERIOD
HTS is a structure that aims for power due to its structure and mentality. The destination of structures aimed at excessive power is fascism. He does not accept those who oppose him. It cannot tolerate the organization of different political forces and competing on equal terms. The practice of the Baath is obvious. The Baath excluded those who were not from it, who did not participate in the party system. It was necessary to be one of them in order to take part in the bureaucracy, to have a career, to benefit from the opportunities of the state. He would unleash intelligence and the police after those who thought differently and criticized. Such people would become open to all kinds of dangers. Torture, unquestioned and defenseless years of imprisonment in decay were increasingly routine. People in this situation would either surrender, beg for mercy or lose their lives. The lucky ones who could not hold on in Syria and whose lives were in danger would throw themselves abroad.
The country's intellectual and intellectual accumulation would have been destroyed. Society would be excluded from politics. It would deprive them of ways to organize and seek their rights. The people were told, "Leave politics and management to us, you go and deal with livelihood problems." Because of this, there would be no possibility for a democratic culture to emerge in the country. The Baath regime also held elections to gain legitimacy, but there was never a real election. Everything was planned and determined from the center. There were never any surprises or differences in the election results. Hafez or Bashar al-Assad was elected with close to 100 percent of the votes.
SO WHAT IS HTS DOING?
Now, HTS has formed an interim government without involving anyone or cooperating. They elected the president. They made the provisional constitution themselves. It did not include intellectuals and different social segments in the constitutional debates and construction. They will establish a so-called parliament. One third of them will be directly appointed by Ahmet Shara, and the rest will be appointed by a committee that he has determined them. Is it possible to call this an election? Can this be called a reflection of democracy and the will of the people? Of course not.
HTS says it will form an army. Those who are recruited into the army undergo rigorous training based on religion. They feed their own ideologies. It is clear that a national army will not emerge from such a structure. In addition, they say that they have included dozens of armed groups originating from ISIS and Al Qaeda, involved in all war crimes and crimes against humanity, into the army as they are. There is no military force that ensures the defense of the country and the security of the people, there is the opposite. Internal security and police force are the same. They determine all police chiefs and personnel themselves. They appoint the governors themselves. They appoint the imams of the mosques themselves. They clean up the bureaucracy and place their own staff in all administrative levels of the state as the remnants of the Baath regime. They monopolized all the press organs and televisions belonging to the state and the remnants of the regime and established a one-sided propaganda mechanism. They tied the existing opportunities, revenues and economic resources of the state to themselves.
IT COLLAPSES ON SOCIETY
As can be seen, a power-oriented policy and administration gradually centralizes all powers and opportunities within itself. Such a centralized state structure collapses on society like a nightmare. This also creates a very cumbersome and expensive, costly form of management. All the resources of the country are at the mercy of those who hold this wheel. Corruption, abuse and injustice will be unpreventable. A great injustice in income distribution becomes inevitable. Instead of dispensing justice, the judicial system protects the interests of those in power and the powerful and turns into a weapon against those who object.
THE NEED FOR DEMOCRATIC CONSTRUCTION
It is possible to list the consequences and negativities of a monolithic and centralized state further. There is also the practice of Baath. In this respect, establishing a system based on democratic, decentralized, federal, autonomous or strengthened local governments is the most realistic option. There is a need for a pluralist, libertarian and democratic construction in Syria.
ANF
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
The Turkish state insistently wants a centralized nation-state structure in Syria. As it is known, the Baath regime also dominated an extremely centralized state structure. The single-party system did not allow opposition and differences to exist. This structure was essentially a fascist regime in which the people could not breathe. While these facts are in the middle, what could be the reason why Turkey wants a monolithic, rigid central state structure? Of course, to prevent the Kurdish people from having a status! Syria is wanted to be put into a more oppressive and dark tunnel than the Baath regime so that the Kurds do not see their mother and have no status.
HTS is ideologically sectarian, based on religion and against democracy. He has a monistic mindset that sees differences as a threat and does not give them a chance to survive. It is closed to an egalitarian and pluralistic political structure. It is based on allegiance instead of freedoms. He massacres those who do not obey, as he did with Alevis and Druze. It has adopted as a policy to bring the society to suffocation by taking some outdated discourses as a reference and to destroy those who are not themselves by issuing fatwas saying that murder is mandatory.
LET'S REMEMBER THE BAATH PERIOD
HTS is a structure that aims for power due to its structure and mentality. The destination of structures aimed at excessive power is fascism. He does not accept those who oppose him. It cannot tolerate the organization of different political forces and competing on equal terms. The practice of the Baath is obvious. The Baath excluded those who were not from it, who did not participate in the party system. It was necessary to be one of them in order to take part in the bureaucracy, to have a career, to benefit from the opportunities of the state. He would unleash intelligence and the police after those who thought differently and criticized. Such people would become open to all kinds of dangers. Torture, unquestioned and defenseless years of imprisonment in decay were increasingly routine. People in this situation would either surrender, beg for mercy or lose their lives. The lucky ones who could not hold on in Syria and whose lives were in danger would throw themselves abroad.
The country's intellectual and intellectual accumulation would have been destroyed. Society would be excluded from politics. It would deprive them of ways to organize and seek their rights. The people were told, "Leave politics and management to us, you go and deal with livelihood problems." Because of this, there would be no possibility for a democratic culture to emerge in the country. The Baath regime also held elections to gain legitimacy, but there was never a real election. Everything was planned and determined from the center. There were never any surprises or differences in the election results. Hafez or Bashar al-Assad was elected with close to 100 percent of the votes.
SO WHAT IS HTS DOING?
Now, HTS has formed an interim government without involving anyone or cooperating. They elected the president. They made the provisional constitution themselves. It did not include intellectuals and different social segments in the constitutional debates and construction. They will establish a so-called parliament. One third of them will be directly appointed by Ahmet Shara, and the rest will be appointed by a committee that he has determined them. Is it possible to call this an election? Can this be called a reflection of democracy and the will of the people? Of course not.
HTS says it will form an army. Those who are recruited into the army undergo rigorous training based on religion. They feed their own ideologies. It is clear that a national army will not emerge from such a structure. In addition, they say that they have included dozens of armed groups originating from ISIS and Al Qaeda, involved in all war crimes and crimes against humanity, into the army as they are. There is no military force that ensures the defense of the country and the security of the people, there is the opposite. Internal security and police force are the same. They determine all police chiefs and personnel themselves. They appoint the governors themselves. They appoint the imams of the mosques themselves. They clean up the bureaucracy and place their own staff in all administrative levels of the state as the remnants of the Baath regime. They monopolized all the press organs and televisions belonging to the state and the remnants of the regime and established a one-sided propaganda mechanism. They tied the existing opportunities, revenues and economic resources of the state to themselves.
IT COLLAPSES ON SOCIETY
As can be seen, a power-oriented policy and administration gradually centralizes all powers and opportunities within itself. Such a centralized state structure collapses on society like a nightmare. This also creates a very cumbersome and expensive, costly form of management. All the resources of the country are at the mercy of those who hold this wheel. Corruption, abuse and injustice will be unpreventable. A great injustice in income distribution becomes inevitable. Instead of dispensing justice, the judicial system protects the interests of those in power and the powerful and turns into a weapon against those who object.
THE NEED FOR DEMOCRATIC CONSTRUCTION
It is possible to list the consequences and negativities of a monolithic and centralized state further. There is also the practice of Baath. In this respect, establishing a system based on democratic, decentralized, federal, autonomous or strengthened local governments is the most realistic option. There is a need for a pluralist, libertarian and democratic construction in Syria.
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