Part 2/10:
As of early December, the state apparatus established by the Assad dynasty appeared to have crumbled, leaving behind nothing more than tattered portraits of the former president. The Syrian Army, once a formidable force, disintegrated rapidly, allowing al-Shara and his group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), to establish control over central and western Syria. Despite being the most powerful military force in the region, al-Shara's rise does not signify the end of the conflict; rather, it marks a transition into a new phase, characterized by an uneasy calm yet fraught with potential volatility.