"We succeeded in breaking the first line and then the second and third," said Gen. Ahmed Homsi, the commander of a unit that's been trying to coordinate the rebel offensive, during an interview with NPR. "We hit positions of the leadership and succeeded in cutting off communications between them and their troops. That created big chaos for them. It was a big psychological defeat."
HTS has transformed repeatedly over the years since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, with name changes, personnel splits and an expanded role in the country's northwest province of Idlib, where it has largely governed undisturbed for several years.
An Islamist group that the US and several other nations long ago designated a terrorist organization, it was known as Jabhat al-Nusra when it formed a formal alliance with Al-Qaida more than a decade ago. But in recent years HTS has publicly disavowed international terrorism and tries to present a more moderate face.
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