EU leaders said on Thursday they want to support Syria with "the historic opportunity to reunite and rebuild the country" following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. To help an "inclusive and Syrian-led political process" in the transition of power,

The European Union will establish contacts with Syria's new leadership and reopen its delegation in the country, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday.

HTS has long had a strained relationship with the other major rebel bloc in Syria, the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). The SNA's focus during the recent offensive has largely aligned with Ankara's priorities - seizing Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria to eliminate what Turkey perceives as a Kurdish "threat" along its borders.