Administrative Governance in Idlib: An Experience of Organisation for the Liberation of the Levant

The article examines the experience of territorial governance of the Organization for the Liberation of the Levant (also known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), whose operation against the Syrian army led to the fall of Bashar alAssad’s regime on December 8, 2024. It details how the leaders of the faction, once affiliated with al-Qaeda, created and enhanced the effectiveness of quasi-state entities and soft power tools by rebuilding infrastructure, organizing educational processes, negotiating with minorities, and convening conferences with tribal leaders. The article presents data demonstrating both positive and negative results of the experience of territorial governance of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham faction and its affiliated Salvation Government, on the basis of which the interim government of Syria was established on December 9, 2024. It is shown that the faction combined forceful actions against its opponents with the initiation of anticrisis measures that allowed it to increase its legitimacy among the local population.

Organization of the Liberation of the Levant, Jabhat al-Nusra, Syria, al-Qaeda, Islamic state, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Idlib, The Syrian Salvation Government