Islamic State of Syria

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham
جبهة فتح الشام Participant in the Syrian Civil War and the Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon
Flag of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (since July 2016)
Active	23 January 2012 – 28 January 2017
Ideology	Salafism Wahhabism Salafist jihadism (a form of Islamic fundamentalism)
Leaders	Abu Mohammad al-Julani (top emir) Abu Abdullah al-Shami (senior member) Ahmad Salama Mabruk † (senior member) Abu Hajer al-Homsi † (top military commander)
Headquarters	Deir ez-Zor, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, (2012–14) Harem, Idlib Governorate, (February–November 2014) Salqin, Idlib Governorate, (November 2014–March 2015) Idlib, Idlib Governorate, Syria (March 2015–January 2017)
Area of operations	Syria (Primarily in Northwest Syria, around the Idlib and Aleppo Provinces)  Lebanon
Strength	20,000
Part of	al-Qaeda Mujahideen Shura Council (2014–present) Army of Conquest (2015–17)
Originated as	Islamic State of Iraq
Became	Hayyat Tahrir al-Sham
Allies	Jund al-Aqsa Turkistan Islamic Party Caucasus Emirate Ajnad al-Kavkaz Malhama Tactical Ashida'a Mujahideen Brigade Ansar al-Din Front Ansar al-Islam
Opponents	State opponents  Syria  Lebanon  Iran  Russia  United States Non-state opponents Syrian Democratic Forces People's Protection Units Army of Revolutionaries Free Syrian Army Ahrar al-Sham Suqour al-Sham Brigade Shi'ite groups Hezbollah Kata'ib Hezbollah Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Al-Abbas brigade Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada Islamic State and Islamic State affiliates Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade Jaysh al-Jihad Islamic Muthanna Movement
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Battle of Aleppo 2013 Latakia offensive Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War 2014 Idlib offensive al-Nusra Front–Syria Revolutionaries Front conflict 2015 Idlib offensive Second Battle of Idlib Battle of Bosra (2015) 2015 Jisr al-Shughur offensive Battle of Yarmouk Camp (2015) Qalamoun offensive (May 2015) Battle of Zabadani (2015) 2015 Hama Offensive Siege of Nubl and Al-Zahraa Northern Aleppo offensive (2016) Idlib Governorate clashes (January 2017) Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Battle of Arsal (2014) Military intervention against ISIL American-led intervention in Syria Russian military intervention in Syria

Salafism

State opponents

Non-state opponents

Shi'ite groups

Islamic State and Islamic State affiliates

Syrian Civil War

Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon

Military intervention against ISIL

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Arabic: جبهة فتح الشام‎‎, transliteration: Jabhat fatḥ ash-Shām, "Front for the Conquest of the Levant"), formerly known as the al-Nusra Front (Arabic: جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام‎‎, transliteration: Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-ahli ash-Shām, "The Victory Front for the People of the Levant", often abbreviated to JN), al-Qaeda in Syria, or al-Qaeda in the Levant, was a Salafist jihadist terrorist organization fighting against the forces of the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War, with the aim of establishing an Islamic state in the country before merging into Tahrir al-Sham with five other major jihadi groups based in Idlib and Aleppo governorates. It was openly self acknowledged as the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda until 2016, at which point it rebanded and alleged to have cut all ties to any "external entity", however it did not explicitly mention breaking away from Al-Qaeda nor renouncing their oath of allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri. The group also operates in neighboring Lebanon. In early 2015, the group became one of the major components of the powerful jihadist joint operations room named the Army of Conquest, which took over large territories in Northwestern Syria.