HTS militia claims to have planned the overthrow of Assad for a year . The fall of the Syrian regime seemed rapid, but according to the rebels, it had been planned well in advance. The decisive factors were the right timing – and the right weapons. According to a commander, the operation was planned for a year. The Islamist militia Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is based in northwest Syria, began to prepare the operation in detail last year. This was what HTS commander and former leader of the group’s military wing, Abu Hassan al-Hamwi, told the British “Guardian” in an interview published on Friday.