The operation marks the first time Israel has directly struck HTS forces—the Islamic terrorist group that ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad—inside Syria. The move is seen as a warning as the militant HTS group attempts to expand its reach amid growing chaos.   Here in Syria's northeast, tensions are just as high. Kurds, Christians, Yezidis, and even Arab communities are united in rejecting HTS and any push to replace Assad with Abu Mohammad al-Julani. For now, this part of the country remains under Kurdish control, but locals say they're prepared to resist any takeover. That resistance could set the stage for future conflict.  

The overthrow of the Assad regime last December left a power vacuum here, and Syria is becoming a patchwork of competing factions. Extremist groups like HTS are instituting harsh Islamic Sharia law in areas they control—often at the point of a gun. But with local communities resisting, and outside powers like Israel stepping in, the next phase of Syria's conflict may be even more volatile. 

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