Editing Syrian Armed Forces (section)

===Fall of the al-Assad regime===
In December 2024, the Syrian Arab Army, alongside the Syrian Arab Republic itself, collapsed as the [[Fall of the Assad regime|Assad regime fell]]. Some of the remaining SAA forces crossed into Iraq, others removed their uniforms before the rebels could arrive in Damascus, the last remaining territory controlled by the SAR.<ref name=":0" /> Retired U.S. General [[Wesley Clark]] said that a video showing the SAA forces evacuating to Iraq showed the "demoralization and collapse of an army", and that the forces knew they would lose, with the rebels taking Damascus and Assad's whereabouts unknown. He compared it to the [[fall of Kabul (2021)|fall of Kabul in 2021]], where the U.S.-backed [[Afghan Armed Forces]] collapsed, and that when faced with certain defeat, armies simply "melt away".<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/07/world/video/syria-pro-assad-forces-cross-to-iraq-nr-digvid |title=Video purportedly shows pro-Assad military fleeing into Iraq |date=2024-12-08 |language=en |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref>

{{As of|2024|12|11}}, leaders of the [[Syrian Democratic Forces]], the military forces of the [[Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria]], were preparing for "negotiations that would create a broader-based Syrian government that is not under [[Abu Mohammad al-Julani|al-Julani]]'s control". Leaders of the [[Southern Operations Room]] met with al-Julani on 11 December and expressed interest in "coordination", a "unified effort" and "cooperation", without stating that they would support the HTS transitional government.<ref name="ISW_IR_update_11Dec2024">{{cite Q|Q131451072|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 17 December 2024, Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Bashir has said the [[Ministry of Defense (Syria)|defense ministry]] would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.<ref name="arabnews20241217">{{Cite web|url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2583377/middle-east|title=France returns flag to Damascus embassy as new Syria authorities build contacts with West|date=17 December 2024|website=Arab News}}</ref> [[Murhaf Abu Qasra]] (''nom de guerre''; Abu Hassan al-Hamawi),<ref name="france24-20241217">{{Cite web |date=17 December 2024 |title=Syria ex-rebel military chief says to dissolve armed wing |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241217-syria-ex-rebel-military-chief-says-to-dissolve-armed-wing |access-date=21 December 2024 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref> the military commander of [[Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham]] said to ''[[The Economist]]'', "All military units will naturally transition to the ministry of defence, forming a unified army tasked with protecting the nation on behalf of all Syrians." ''The Economist'' added that Qasra insisted "..that there will be no place in the new Syria for jihadists eager to launch attacks".<ref>{{Cite news |title=An interview with the military commander of Syria's new masters |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/12/13/an-interview-with-the-military-commander-of-syrias-new-masters |access-date=21 December 2024 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> Abu Qasra, speaking with [[Agence France-Presse|''AFP'']], said that HTS would be "among the first to take the initiative" to dissolve its armed wing for a national army;<ref name="france24-20241217" /> on 21 December it was reported that Abu Qasra was appointed transitional [[Ministry of Defense (Syria)|Minister of Defense]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Syrian authorities appoint HTS figures as foreign, defence ministers |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/21/syrias-new-rulers-appoint-hts-figures-as-foreign-defence-ministers |access-date=25 December 2024 |website=[[Al Jazeera English]]|language=en}}</ref>

On 22 December 2024, [[Ahmed al-Sharaa]] said that the new Syrian government would announce the new structure of the Syrian military within days.<ref>{{cite news |title=Syrian leader says he will announce defence, military structure soon |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrian-leader-says-he-will-announce-defence-military-structure-soon-2024-12-22/ |work=[[Reuters]] |date=22 December 2024}}</ref> Two days later, the transitional government announced that a meeting between opposition groups and Ahmed al-Sharaa "ended in an agreement on the dissolution of all the groups and their integration under the supervision of the ministry of defence".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Syria says ex-rebel groups agree to integrate under Defence Ministry |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/24/syria-says-ex-rebel-groups-agree-to-integrate-under-defence-ministry |access-date=25 December 2024 |website=[[Al Jazeera English]] |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Straits Times|2024}}

On 26 December 2024, the "former forces of deposed leader Bashar al-Assad" killed 14 HTS fighters in the process of the HTS/new government capturing [[Mohammad Kanjo Hassan]]. General Hassan, the former chief of military justice and head of the field court, had been closely associated with the [[Sednaya Prison]], where detainees had been often been brutally tortured. This has led to the [[Western Syria clashes (December 2024–present)]] against the new [[Syrian caretaker government|Syrian transitional government]]/regime.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/26/middleeast/security-personnel-deaths-syria-intl-hnk/index.html | title=At least 14 security personnel killed in 'ambush' by former Assad forces, new Syrian authorities say | website=[[CNN]] | date=26 December 2024}}</ref>

On 29 December 2024, [[Ahmed al-Sharaa]] announced the [[Military ranks of Syria|promotion]] of 42 individuals to the rank of Colonel, 5 to the rank of Brigadier General, and 2 to the rank of Major-General in the [[Syrian Army]]. This number included Defense Minister Abu Qasra and new [[Chief of the General Staff (Syria)|Chief of the General Staff]] of the Syrian Armed Forces and Army [[Ali Noureddine Al-Naasan]], who were both elevated to the rank of Major-General.<ref>{{Cite web |title=بينهم وزير الدفاع.. القيادة العامة تعلن عن ترقيات جديدة في الجيش السوري |url=https://shaam.org/news/syria-news/بينهم-وزير-الدفاع-القيادة-العامة-تعلن-عن-ترقيات-جديدة-في-الجيش-السوري |access-date=29 December 2024 |website=شبكة شام |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 December 2024 |title=الشرع يصدر أول قائمة ترفيعات في الجيش.. ضمت أسماء غير سورية |url=https://arabi21.com/story/1650927/الشرع-يصدر-أول-قائمة-ترفيعات-في-الجيش-ضمت-أسماء-غير-سورية |access-date=29 December 2024 |website=عربي21 |language=ar}}</ref> In January 2025 the defense ministry said that it has met with over 60 armed groups and claimed that all of the armed groups agreed to be a part of the armed forces and reorganized into units.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Institute for the Study of War |url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-19-2025 |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Institute for the Study of War |language=en}}</ref> but they reject the SDF proposal of creating a Kurdish "bloc" within the armed forces.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 19, 2025 |title=Syrian defence minister rejects Kurdish proposal for its own military bloc |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrian-defence-minister-rejects-kurdish-proposal-its-own-military-bloc-2025-01-19/ |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Later in February the SDF, the [[Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria]], and the [[Syrian Democratic Council]] decided in a meeting that the SDF would merge with the Syrian army.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-18 |title=SDF says it will be joining the Syrian army |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-sdf-says-it-will-be-joining-the-syrian-army/7980107.html |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=Voice of America |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sh |date=2025-02-18 |title=The View from Damascus – SDF Seeks Integration into Syrian Army as Talks with Damascus Gain Momentum - The Syrian Observer |url=https://syrianobserver.com/syrian-actors/the-view-from-damascus-sdf-seeks-integration-into-syrian-army-as-talks-with-damascus-gain-momentum.html |access-date=2025-02-22 |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 8 March 2025, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Syrian security forces and pro-government fighters had been involved in the mass killings of more than 750 Alawite civilians amidst clashes with supposed remaining pro-Assad groups in the western Governorates of Syria.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/they-left-nobody-more-than-600-people-killed-in-some-of-syrias-deadliest-violence-13324440|title='They left nobody': More than 1,000 people killed in some of Syria's deadliest violence|website=[[Sky News]]}}</ref>