A Turkish army tank stationed near Affine, northwestern Syria, on Oct. 19, 2022. (Credit: AFP)
The Syrian National Army (SNA), while lesser known than Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), still played an important role in the Syrian rebel offensive that led to the fall of Bashar al-Assad. SNA, a former rival of the Islamist group in the quest for hegemony in north-western Syria, is more closely linked to Ankara, and focused on the Turkish objectives in the region.What role did SNA play in the offensive against the Syrian regime?Turkey-backed SNA and HTS closely collaborated. When the latter launched its Nov. 27 lightning offensive against the regime, SNA launched its own — Operation Dawn of Freedom — in tandem.“After seeing HTS’ initial success in seizing a large part of Aleppo, in the days that followed, SNA focused on the eastern part of the city and Kurdish-controlled towns, but also sent reinforcements to support the main offensive,”...
The Syrian National Army (SNA), while lesser known than Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), still played an important role in the Syrian rebel offensive that led to the fall of Bashar al-Assad. SNA, a former rival of the Islamist group in the quest for hegemony in north-western Syria, is more closely linked to Ankara, and focused on the Turkish objectives in the region.What role did SNA play in the offensive against the Syrian regime?Turkey-backed SNA and HTS closely collaborated. When the latter launched its Nov. 27 lightning offensive against the regime, SNA launched its own — Operation Dawn of Freedom — in tandem.“After seeing HTS’ initial success in seizing a large part of Aleppo, in the days that followed, SNA focused on the eastern part of the city and Kurdish-controlled towns, but also sent reinforcements to support the main...