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>> The dictatorship of Bashar al 
Assad is crumbling.

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>> NARRATOR: Correspondent 
Martin Smith investigates

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the rise of Ahmad Al Sharaa,

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from Al-Qaeda commander to 
Syrian leader.

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>> I don’t know of anyone who 
accurately predicted he was

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likely to pose a real threat to 
the Assad regime.

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>> NARRATOR: And the country’s 
uncertain future.

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>> There are still extremist 
elements,

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Mr. al Sharaa is walking a 
tightrope.

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>> NARRATOR: Now on FRONTLINE, 
Syria After Assad.

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♪ ♪

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(cars honking 
in celebration)

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(honking continues)

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(crowd cheering)

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(honking continues)

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(celebratory gunfire)

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(crowd cheering)

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(cheering and honking continue)

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(celebratory gunfire)

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>> WOMAN (speaking Arabic):

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(crowd cheering)

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>> (speaking Arabic):

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>> We've been seeing 
these amazing images all day

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coming out of Syria, right,

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of tens of thousands of people

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out on the streets celebrating.

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Celebrating a new Syria, 
and also tasting freedom

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after decades of repression.

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>> MAN (speaking Kermanji):

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(crowds cheering)

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>> Quite simply, 
no one saw this coming.

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>> Bashar al Assad 
has clung on to power

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through years of civil war.

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But now, 
a new rebel movement

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has managed to topple his regime 
in less than two weeks.

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(crowd cheering)

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>> What we've been 
seeing from the rebel leadership

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is a clear attempt to signal

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that they want 
an inclusive Syria

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and that they want 
to avoid more conflict.

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The leader-- al-Jolani-- has 
even interestingly, you know,

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dropped his jihadi 
nom de guerre.

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He now calls himself 
by his original birth name,

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Ahmed al-Sharaa.

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You know, 
even that is a signal

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that he is not 
trying to impose

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his jihadist position.

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>> AHMED AL-SHARAA 
(speaking Arabic):

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(crowds cheering and clapping)

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>> MAN (speaking Arabic):

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>> We are tracking

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one of the most extraordinary 
events in Middle East history.

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This will have a profound impact 
on the region and beyond.

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>> There is real joy here,

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but there is also real concern.

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No one knows what's 
going to happen next.

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(crowd chanting fading out)

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(motors rumbling)

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(din of traffic)

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> He was right here 
when this place was hit.

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>> MARTIN SMITH: 
I met Ahmed al-Sharaa in 2021,

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in Syria's Idlib province.

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> It's not Times Square.

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>> SMITH: My cameraman and I

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were the first Western 
journalists to meet him.

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(turn signal clicking)

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At the time, 
he went by his nom de guerre,

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Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.

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He was also then a wanted man

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with a ten million-dollar 
bounty on his head.

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And he had a long history

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as a jihadist.

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(explosion booming)

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At age 21, al-Jolani 
joined al-Qaeda in Iraq

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to fight 
and kill Americans.

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(explosion booming)

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Captured by U.S. forces,

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he spent five years 
in Iraqi prisons,

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including Abu Ghraib

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and Camp Bucca.

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> SMITH: Soon after 
he was released,

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he came back to Syria

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and formed an al-Qaeda 
branch to fight Assad.

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> SMITH: By the time we met,

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al-Jolani had 
broken ties with al-Qaeda

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and was trying 
to moderate his image,

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to get the world 
to reconsider him.

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> SMITH: 
He took us to a camp of

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internally displaced Syrians,

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where he assured 
the residents

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that he was planning 
to defeat Assad

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and send them home.

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> SMITH: Al-Jolani's key ally 
in the region was Turkey.

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It was Turkish intelligence 
that had taken us into Idlib,

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so al-Jolani could be heard.

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But at the time, Jolani's 
odds of victory were very long.

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Assad controlled 
most of the country.

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> SMITH: However, 
with his army--

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Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham, 
or HTS--

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al-Jolani was determined

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to strike at the heart of 
the Assad regime

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and march straight 
to the capital.

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> SMITH: All together, 
I spent seven days in Idlib.

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Al-Jolani struck me as 
remarkably open.

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At one point, 
we were taken to

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his military command 
headquarters.

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>> HTS OFFICER 
(speaking Arabic):

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>> SMITH: 
Al-Jolani had come to review

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the current situation 
on their frontlines.

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> SMITH: They were 
facing pressure from

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Assad's principal allies, 
Iran and Russia.

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>> HTS OFFICER:

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> HTS OFFICER:

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>> SMITH: 
So, are the Russians flying,

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ah, drones over this area?

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>> HTS OFFICER:

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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>> HTS OFFICER:

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>> SMITH: I hear it, 
I hear it.

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(plane flying overhead)

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>> HTS OFFICER:

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(indistinct 
shouting over radio)

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(explosion booming)

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(indistinct radio chatter)

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>> SMITH: The day after 
showing me his maps,

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al-Jolani sat down for 
an interview.

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(in interview): You are 
in a box, it seems to me,

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with the Russians, 
with the Iranians,

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with the regime.

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What is your strategy?

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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♪ ♪

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>> SMITH: 
After I left Idlib,

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I posted a picture of al-Jolani 
and me on Twitter.

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(Twitter alert chimes)

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The post went viral.

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Al-Jolani was ridiculed 
for wearing a suit.

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I was criticized for 
talking to a terrorist.

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So how did an obscure,

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besieged rebel leader 
manage to topple a dictator?

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(loaded rifles clicking)

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It began three years 
after I met al-Jolani,

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in November 2024,

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when his forces launched 
an assault on Aleppo,

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Syria's second largest city.

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>> HTS SOLDIER 
(speaking Arabic):

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>> SMITH: They entered 
from above and below ground,

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a coordinated ambush utilizing

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a vast network of tunnels.

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>> HTS SOLDIER 2 
(speaking Arabic):

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>> HTS SOLDIER:

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>> SMITH: The attack 
blindsided everyone.

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(weapons firing, 
indistinct shouting)

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(rapid gunfire)

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>> I don't know of anyone 
who accurately predicted

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that Jolani was likely 
to pose a real threat

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to the Assad regime.

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I mean, I was the deputy 
national security advisor,

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had access to all 
the intelligence information,

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analytic information 
the U.S. government has.

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I first heard that we should 
be watching Aleppo, uh,

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from somebody outside of 
the U.S. government...

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(explosion booming)

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who said, "You might want 
to pay attention

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"to what is happening here.

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It is different from 
what we've seen before."

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(soldiers shouting 
indistinctly)

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>> SMITH: The city fell 
to al-Jolani in three days.

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>> AL-SHARAA:

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(talking indistinctly)

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>> I truly think that 
they only thought

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that they were going to 
take over Aleppo...

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and then hold there 
and see how that went,

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and then try to build 
themselves up strong enough

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to then move on elsewhere,

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and then it might take 
some time.

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But in fact, because there 
was no true counter-offensive,

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the military people 
were like "All right,

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nobody's going after us, 
let's keep on going!"

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(motorcycle engines revving)

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>> Syrian rebel fighters

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are advancing southward 
after seizing control of Aleppo,

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that's one of 
Syria's largest cities...

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>> SMITH: As al-Jolani's forces 
headed south toward Damascus,

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the assumption was 
still that Iran and Russia

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would come to Assad's rescue.

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>> Those rebels have just

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blitzed through 
the countryside,

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and they've made enormous gains 
in the east, in the south...

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>> HTS SOLDIER 
(speaking Arabic):

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(celebratory gunfire)

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>> More celebrations today

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in the city of Hama.

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The rebels' advance 
across the country

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has been lightning-fast.

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But where's the Syrian army

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in all of this?

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Because they mostly seem 
to be surrendering or defecting.

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>> The Syrian regime 
completely gave up.

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Assad's officers 
on the front line

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were getting paid $30 a month,

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enlisted men about 
ten dollars a month, and...

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>> SMITH: Joshua Landis 
is a professor

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at the University 
of Oklahoma,

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director of their Center 
for Middle East Studies.

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>> American sanctions had really 
hollowed out that regime

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and when we saw the 
rebel soldiers come down,

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and many of them had 
night vision goggles on there--

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and these fantastic uniforms.

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Much better than anything 
Assad soldiers had.

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It was clear that Turkey

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had been really building up 
these militias.

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And also, Assad

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lost all of his allies.

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Hezbollah had been 
decapitated by Israel.

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They were major supporters 
of the Assad regime.

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>> This morning, 
Israel and Hezbollah

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are exchanging missile and drone 
attacks across the border...

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>> SMITH: Hezbollah, 
and its patron Iran,

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became increasingly 
engaged with Israel.

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They had shifted 
their focus away from Syria.

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(cameras clicking)

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And Assad's other ally 
was also distracted.

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>> And Russia, of course, 
was completely preoccupied

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in the Ukraine,

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and had not been 
resupplying him,

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so Assad was cut off.

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>> And after 
decades in the country,

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Russia is pulling back.

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This video shows military 
vehicles with Russian flags

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leaving the Damascus region...

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>> According to my contacts, 
the Russians were ready to go

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back to the bombing campaign 
that had been so effective

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in beating down 
the Syrian opposition.

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However, they immediately saw

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A-- that there was 
no real effective infantry,

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'cause there was almost no 
Iranian proxy forces

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from Hezbollah.

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And once Aleppo fell,

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it was obvious that

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whether the Russians 
dropped bombs or not,

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it wasn't going to stop 
this massive offensive.

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(vehicles honking horns, 
sirens blaring)

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>> Last week it was Aleppo.

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Yesterday, the city of Homs.

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Last night, 
the outskirts of Damascus.

257
00:13:46,233 --> 00:13:47,600
>> At this point, it appears

258
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:49,200
that the dictatorship 
of Bashar al-Assad

259
00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:51,366
is crumbling.

260
00:13:51,366 --> 00:13:52,700
>> Nobody read

261
00:13:52,700 --> 00:13:53,900
what was happening

262
00:13:53,900 --> 00:13:55,366
on the ground correctly.

263
00:13:55,366 --> 00:13:56,566
Not the outsiders,

264
00:13:56,566 --> 00:13:57,733
not Assad and his backers.

265
00:13:58,933 --> 00:14:02,333
>> SMITH: So, Jolani finds 
himself pushing on an open door.

266
00:14:02,333 --> 00:14:03,666
>> Exactly.

267
00:14:03,666 --> 00:14:06,833
>> AL-SHARAA:

268
00:14:08,066 --> 00:14:09,833
>> SMITH: Everyone 
misread the situation,

269
00:14:09,833 --> 00:14:11,700
except al-Jolani.

270
00:14:11,700 --> 00:14:13,300
In this meeting with followers

271
00:14:13,300 --> 00:14:16,200
nearly five years earlier,

272
00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,333
he predicted precisely 
how he would achieve victory.

273
00:14:19,333 --> 00:14:23,966
>> AL-SHARAA:

274
00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,866
♪ ♪

275
00:14:39,866 --> 00:14:43,033
>> NEWSCASTER 
(speaking Arabic):

276
00:14:48,833 --> 00:14:49,733
>> SMITH: So al-Jolani,

277
00:14:49,733 --> 00:14:52,733
in less than two weeks, 
conquered Syria.

278
00:14:52,733 --> 00:14:54,700
Just as he had promised.

279
00:14:54,700 --> 00:14:56,666
(crowd cheering)

280
00:14:56,666 --> 00:14:58,666
Why should Americans care

281
00:14:58,666 --> 00:15:00,133
about what happens in Syria?

282
00:15:00,133 --> 00:15:01,633
Why should Americans 
care about

283
00:15:01,633 --> 00:15:04,800
the fall of Assad or 
the rise of al-Sharaa?

284
00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,466
>> It's not that Syria 
per se is important.

285
00:15:07,466 --> 00:15:08,733
It's that 
what happens in Syria

286
00:15:08,733 --> 00:15:10,866
impacts all of the Middle East.

287
00:15:10,866 --> 00:15:14,433
Syria can generate 
massive refugee flows.

288
00:15:14,433 --> 00:15:17,733
And it has terrorism that 
does not stay in the region,

289
00:15:17,733 --> 00:15:21,233
as we saw all over Europe 
in 2015, '16,

290
00:15:21,233 --> 00:15:22,866
with the Islamic State.

291
00:15:22,866 --> 00:15:26,433
These are issues at the center 
of the Middle East.

292
00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:30,600
>> SMITH: And Syria 
sits squarely in the center

293
00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,266
of the Middle East, 
sharing borders with

294
00:15:33,266 --> 00:15:35,966
five U.S. strategic partners 
in the region:

295
00:15:35,966 --> 00:15:37,666
Turkey, Iraq,

296
00:15:37,666 --> 00:15:40,300
Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon.

297
00:15:41,333 --> 00:15:42,666
Should it be considered

298
00:15:42,666 --> 00:15:45,800
an intelligence failure 
that we didn't see--

299
00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,066
either that Jolani, 
at that time...

300
00:15:48,066 --> 00:15:50,033
>> Mm-hmm. 
>> SMITH: ...was a potent

301
00:15:50,033 --> 00:15:53,566
force to be dealt with, 
or that Assad,

302
00:15:53,566 --> 00:15:56,633
the regime, 
was rotting from within?

303
00:15:56,633 --> 00:16:00,200
>> Look, I think 
anyone you might've asked,

304
00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,733
either in the policy side, 
the intel side,

305
00:16:02,733 --> 00:16:04,033
whether in state, NSC,

306
00:16:04,033 --> 00:16:07,066
D.O.D., 
our folks in the field,

307
00:16:07,066 --> 00:16:08,866
people would've been

308
00:16:08,866 --> 00:16:10,633
easily able to reckon--

309
00:16:10,633 --> 00:16:13,700
yes, the regime is... 
is stagnant.

310
00:16:15,033 --> 00:16:16,400
You know things are brittle,

311
00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:17,533
but you don't know 
how brittle they are,

312
00:16:17,533 --> 00:16:19,700
and you don't know 
what kind of punch

313
00:16:19,700 --> 00:16:22,333
knocks the whole thing 
to pieces.

314
00:16:22,333 --> 00:16:24,333
♪ ♪

315
00:16:24,333 --> 00:16:26,866
>> More than two weeks after 
Assad fled Syria,

316
00:16:26,866 --> 00:16:29,366
Syrian families are still 
searching for answers about

317
00:16:29,366 --> 00:16:31,700
so many of their loved ones 
taken by Assad's secret police

318
00:16:31,700 --> 00:16:33,266
over the years.

319
00:16:33,266 --> 00:16:36,100
>> At least 200,000 people 
are missing after more than...

320
00:16:36,100 --> 00:16:38,600
>> I have trouble

321
00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,466
thinking of the collapse 
of the Assad regime.

322
00:16:41,466 --> 00:16:42,966
(indistinct talking)

323
00:16:42,966 --> 00:16:45,300
It's 54 years.

324
00:16:45,300 --> 00:16:49,100
54 years that the Syrians 
have been repressed.

325
00:16:49,100 --> 00:16:51,166
And so, when in 11 days,

326
00:16:51,166 --> 00:16:52,866
a regime like this collapses,

327
00:16:52,866 --> 00:16:55,466
it takes you time to 
understand it,

328
00:16:55,466 --> 00:16:56,466
to believe it...

329
00:16:56,466 --> 00:16:58,766
>> And what we're 
identifying is

330
00:16:58,766 --> 00:17:01,000
multiple mass graves, 
all these places

331
00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,333
where hundreds of 
thousands of bodies--

332
00:17:03,333 --> 00:17:04,833
men, women, children, 
elderly--

333
00:17:04,833 --> 00:17:05,933
had been not just 
shot in the head,

334
00:17:05,933 --> 00:17:07,400
but mostly tortured to death.

335
00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:09,400
Really a sadistic regime.

336
00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:11,766
>> Anything was better 
than the Assad regime.

337
00:17:11,766 --> 00:17:13,166
(metal striking wall)

338
00:17:13,166 --> 00:17:15,000
We saw the videos,

339
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:16,866
how prisoners were treated...

340
00:17:16,866 --> 00:17:19,533
>> MAN (speaking Arabic):

341
00:17:19,533 --> 00:17:20,833
>> The brutality 
of the regime.

342
00:17:20,833 --> 00:17:23,966
>> MAN:

343
00:17:23,966 --> 00:17:26,533
>> Children born from

344
00:17:26,533 --> 00:17:28,833
raped mothers in prisons

345
00:17:28,833 --> 00:17:30,400
that were born in prison.

346
00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,833
>> MAN (speaking Arabic):

347
00:17:33,833 --> 00:17:35,766
>> Anything other than 
Assad is good,

348
00:17:35,766 --> 00:17:37,566
even if it's the devil.

349
00:17:40,133 --> 00:17:45,633
(distant traffic)

350
00:17:45,633 --> 00:17:51,600
(crowd chanting)

351
00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:54,133
>> SMITH: During 
his first weeks in power,

352
00:17:54,133 --> 00:17:56,066
al-Sharaa walked the streets of 
Damascus,

353
00:17:56,066 --> 00:17:59,366
talking to people, 
reassuring everyone

354
00:17:59,366 --> 00:18:01,066
what his plans were.

355
00:18:01,066 --> 00:18:02,833
>> AL-SHARAA:

356
00:18:07,333 --> 00:18:08,733
>> From day one,

357
00:18:08,733 --> 00:18:10,333
when Ahmed al-Sharaa 
took Damascus,

358
00:18:10,333 --> 00:18:12,833
he talked about peace 
and reconciliation,

359
00:18:12,833 --> 00:18:14,233
reunifying the country...

360
00:18:14,233 --> 00:18:16,733
>> AL-SHARAA:

361
00:18:20,133 --> 00:18:21,666
>> He talked about 
disarmament,

362
00:18:21,666 --> 00:18:24,066
demobilization, 
and reintegration.

363
00:18:24,066 --> 00:18:25,600
He used all of the phrases

364
00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:26,700
that you would read in a 
textbook

365
00:18:26,700 --> 00:18:27,700
about a political transition.

366
00:18:27,700 --> 00:18:30,266
>> AL-SHARAA:

367
00:18:33,966 --> 00:18:35,800
>> SMITH: The world's press 
soon arrived

368
00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:37,900
to meet and talk with 
the new leader.

369
00:18:37,900 --> 00:18:39,700
>> AL-SHARAA:

370
00:18:41,633 --> 00:18:44,133
>> SMITH: As did a parade 
of foreign diplomats.

371
00:18:44,133 --> 00:18:45,600
(camera shutter clicks)

372
00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,500
>> The world 
rushed to Damascus.

373
00:18:47,500 --> 00:18:49,466
Foreign ministers,

374
00:18:49,466 --> 00:18:51,333
emirs, 
prime ministers,

375
00:18:51,333 --> 00:18:55,133
presidents are seeking to shake 
Ahmed al-Sharaa's hand,

376
00:18:55,133 --> 00:18:57,066
amazed by this 
historic opportunity.

377
00:18:57,066 --> 00:18:59,633
First time 
in more than 50 years,

378
00:18:59,633 --> 00:19:01,700
to reshape the heart of 
the Middle East for the better.

379
00:19:01,700 --> 00:19:03,233
(traffic blaring, horns honking)

380
00:19:03,233 --> 00:19:04,833
>> As we all turn to the 
question

381
00:19:04,833 --> 00:19:06,433
of what comes next in Syria...

382
00:19:06,433 --> 00:19:09,433
>> SMITH: In Washington, 
the Biden administration

383
00:19:09,433 --> 00:19:11,133
was weighing what it should do.

384
00:19:11,133 --> 00:19:12,766
>> We've taken note 
of statements

385
00:19:12,766 --> 00:19:16,033
by the leaders of these 
rebel groups in recent days.

386
00:19:16,033 --> 00:19:17,866
And they're saying 
the right things now...

387
00:19:17,866 --> 00:19:21,566
>> We were struck by 
the interviews that Jolani gave

388
00:19:21,566 --> 00:19:25,633
in the early days 
after assuming power,

389
00:19:25,633 --> 00:19:28,533
in which, yes, 
he "said the right things",

390
00:19:28,533 --> 00:19:29,833
but said them 
with a degree of

391
00:19:29,833 --> 00:19:33,433
sophistication 
and conviction and detail...

392
00:19:33,433 --> 00:19:36,200
>> AL-SHARAA:

393
00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:40,900
>> He gave us 
some reason to believe

394
00:19:40,900 --> 00:19:43,666
that this might be 
a different sort of leader.

395
00:19:43,666 --> 00:19:45,700
So we decided that 
at a certain point

396
00:19:45,700 --> 00:19:47,133
we would need to engage.

397
00:19:49,100 --> 00:19:51,566
>> SMITH: Less than two weeks 
after al-Sharaa's victory,

398
00:19:51,566 --> 00:19:53,366
a U.S. State Department 
delegation

399
00:19:53,366 --> 00:19:57,233
headed by Barbara Leaf 
set out from neighboring Jordan

400
00:19:57,233 --> 00:19:59,200
to meet with him.

401
00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,966
>> We took off 
down the highway at speed,

402
00:20:01,966 --> 00:20:04,733
and we drove through a very

403
00:20:04,733 --> 00:20:07,533
dilapidated countryside, 
I will say.

404
00:20:07,533 --> 00:20:10,366
Really looked beaten down.

405
00:20:10,366 --> 00:20:12,700
As we got into Damascus,

406
00:20:12,700 --> 00:20:14,100
it was difficult to measure

407
00:20:14,100 --> 00:20:16,233
what security would be like.

408
00:20:16,233 --> 00:20:18,700
Were there 
militias roaming at will?

409
00:20:18,700 --> 00:20:20,333
Was there any security?

410
00:20:20,333 --> 00:20:23,400
Had all the remnants 
of the regime fled for good?

411
00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:25,233
(indistinct talking)

412
00:20:25,233 --> 00:20:27,366
>> SMITH: They arrived 
at the presidential palace

413
00:20:27,366 --> 00:20:31,700
12 days after Assad 
had fled to Moscow.

414
00:20:31,700 --> 00:20:36,333
>> So we were walked 
into this big cavernous palace,

415
00:20:36,333 --> 00:20:38,600
and taken upstairs,

416
00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:39,600
and all of a sudden 
there they were.

417
00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:41,466
♪ ♪

418
00:20:41,466 --> 00:20:44,366
>> SMITH: Talk about 
how he struck you.

419
00:20:44,366 --> 00:20:46,300
>> Having worked for 
many four-star generals

420
00:20:46,300 --> 00:20:47,666
in the American military,

421
00:20:47,666 --> 00:20:50,666
I felt like I was talking to 
a very senior general,

422
00:20:50,666 --> 00:20:53,366
not that different than 
an American commander

423
00:20:53,366 --> 00:20:55,133
who had a very deep 
understanding

424
00:20:55,133 --> 00:20:57,666
of warfare, economics, policy,

425
00:20:57,666 --> 00:20:59,866
what he wanted to achieve, 
how he might want to achieve it.

426
00:20:59,866 --> 00:21:02,200
I walked away impressed.

427
00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:05,800
>> He just had this air of 
calm, quiet authority

428
00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:08,666
and a whiff 
of charisma, frankly.

429
00:21:08,666 --> 00:21:12,500
I mean, I had to almost 
close my eyes and remind myself

430
00:21:12,500 --> 00:21:14,333
I was talking 
to a Syrian official,

431
00:21:14,333 --> 00:21:17,500
with the very easy way 
he talked about Israel.

432
00:21:17,500 --> 00:21:18,866
No diatribes,

433
00:21:18,866 --> 00:21:22,333
no recitation of 
40 years of history,

434
00:21:22,333 --> 00:21:24,833
you know, the way 
Hafez al-Assad would.

435
00:21:24,833 --> 00:21:26,900
"Let me tell you about 1948,"

436
00:21:26,900 --> 00:21:28,900
sort of start 
of the conversation.

437
00:21:28,900 --> 00:21:30,200
And of course at that time,

438
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:34,166
the Israelis had moved in 
up on the Golan Heights

439
00:21:34,166 --> 00:21:35,400
on the Syrian soil... 
>> SMITH: And they were bombing.

440
00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:36,800
>> And they were bombing.

441
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:37,933
(explosion echoing)

442
00:21:37,933 --> 00:21:39,900
>> MAN (speaking Arabic):

443
00:21:39,900 --> 00:21:42,933
>> SMITH: Israel, long 
in a state of war with Syria,

444
00:21:42,933 --> 00:21:45,333
immediately started bombing 
and dismantling

445
00:21:45,333 --> 00:21:48,466
Syria's remaining 
military capabilities.

446
00:21:48,466 --> 00:21:53,200
>> Israel has been bombarding 
every part of Syria's military.

447
00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:56,500
Fighter jets, naval assets, 
surface-to-surface missiles,

448
00:21:56,500 --> 00:21:58,966
they have taken out everything.

449
00:21:58,966 --> 00:22:00,333
>> SMITH: The Israelis say

450
00:22:00,333 --> 00:22:02,200
they told the 
Biden administration

451
00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:04,333
what they were planning to do.

452
00:22:04,333 --> 00:22:08,566
Al-Sharaa asked Barbara Leaf 
to get Israel to stop.

453
00:22:08,566 --> 00:22:10,866
>> He was very matter-of-fact

454
00:22:10,866 --> 00:22:13,400
in his request.

455
00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:15,700
He said, "Could you get 
the Israelis to stop bombing?

456
00:22:15,700 --> 00:22:17,733
They're scaring my people."

457
00:22:17,733 --> 00:22:21,800
And he was at pains 
to say repeatedly,

458
00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:23,433
"We have no argument 
with Israel."

459
00:22:23,433 --> 00:22:27,400
>> I don't doubt that 
al-Sharaa has no interest

460
00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:29,266
in going to war with 
Israel...

461
00:22:29,266 --> 00:22:32,033
>> SMITH: Michael Herzog 
was Israeli ambassador

462
00:22:32,033 --> 00:22:34,666
to the U.S. at the time.

463
00:22:34,666 --> 00:22:37,466
He told me that Israel 
was particularly worried

464
00:22:37,466 --> 00:22:39,866
about Assad's weapons 
and chemical stockpiles

465
00:22:39,866 --> 00:22:41,933
falling into the wrong hands.

466
00:22:41,933 --> 00:22:43,533
>> We all know the background

467
00:22:43,533 --> 00:22:47,033
of al-Sharaa 
and the people around him.

468
00:22:47,033 --> 00:22:51,000
They all come from the schools 
of al-Qaeda and ISIS.

469
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,233
They all have 
jihadi background

470
00:22:53,233 --> 00:22:55,300
and that was, and remains,

471
00:22:55,300 --> 00:22:58,033
a source of concern 
in Israel.

472
00:22:58,033 --> 00:23:00,566
>> SMITH: How does continuing

473
00:23:00,566 --> 00:23:03,700
to strike militarily, 
with bombs,

474
00:23:03,700 --> 00:23:06,600
encourage al-Sharaa's 
moderation?

475
00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:08,666
It would seem to me 
the opposite's true,

476
00:23:08,666 --> 00:23:11,833
that that encourages 
the jihadists...

477
00:23:11,833 --> 00:23:13,966
>> Well, Israel 
is not going to...

478
00:23:13,966 --> 00:23:16,966
strike military 
capabilities forever.

479
00:23:16,966 --> 00:23:19,133
There's...

480
00:23:19,133 --> 00:23:21,366
the more we do it, 
the less there is left to...

481
00:23:21,366 --> 00:23:22,733
destroy.

482
00:23:22,733 --> 00:23:26,466
And again, 
we're talking about specific

483
00:23:26,466 --> 00:23:29,933
military capabilities 
that we do not want to be there,

484
00:23:29,933 --> 00:23:31,933
because they could 
be used against us,

485
00:23:31,933 --> 00:23:34,600
either by this 
new regime or by others.

486
00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:36,600
♪ ♪

487
00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:38,833
>> SMITH: 
Initially, Israel did say

488
00:23:38,833 --> 00:23:40,533
the bombing campaign 
would be brief.

489
00:23:40,533 --> 00:23:42,233
>> I emphasize,

490
00:23:42,233 --> 00:23:46,400
it is a very limited and 
temporary step...

491
00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:47,500
(explosion booming)

492
00:23:47,500 --> 00:23:48,800
>> SMITH: But Israel

493
00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:52,500
has continued 
striking targets for months,

494
00:23:52,500 --> 00:23:59,133
killing an estimated two dozen 
civilians in the process,

495
00:23:59,133 --> 00:24:02,366
Israel has also seized land 
in southern Syria,

496
00:24:02,366 --> 00:24:05,233
expanding what it calls 
its security zone.

497
00:24:05,233 --> 00:24:07,466
>> AL-SHARAA:

498
00:24:09,300 --> 00:24:11,066
>> SMITH: At an Arab summit 
in March,

499
00:24:11,066 --> 00:24:13,333
al-Sharaa asked for help.

500
00:24:13,333 --> 00:24:18,300
>> AL-SHARAA:

501
00:24:25,433 --> 00:24:26,966
>> I think behind Israel

502
00:24:26,966 --> 00:24:29,666
is an agenda, 
is an intention.

503
00:24:29,666 --> 00:24:33,533
To weaken Syria, 
to break it up,

504
00:24:33,533 --> 00:24:36,133
and to expand Israeli 
boundaries.

505
00:24:36,133 --> 00:24:38,366
Without any accountability

506
00:24:38,366 --> 00:24:40,866
by the international community.

507
00:24:40,866 --> 00:24:43,800
And that is really the recipe

508
00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:46,200
for future violence, 
not for peace.

509
00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:48,300
>> SMITH: 
They don't see it that way.

510
00:24:48,300 --> 00:24:50,066
>> The French and the British,

511
00:24:50,066 --> 00:24:51,600
when they carved up 
the Middle East,

512
00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:53,166
didn't see it 
that way, either.

513
00:25:00,033 --> 00:25:01,833
>> DRIVER and PRODUCER 
(speaking Arabic):

514
00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:09,233
>> SMITH: By mid-January 2025, 
when I returned to Syria,

515
00:25:09,233 --> 00:25:11,400
I was planning on 
seeing al-Sharaa again...

516
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:12,800
(camera clicking)

517
00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:15,300
but it seemed he was 
distracted--

518
00:25:15,300 --> 00:25:17,600
his honeymoon 
was coming to an end.

519
00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:22,300
Resistance to his government 
was emerging around the country.

520
00:25:25,466 --> 00:25:27,500
A large pocket 
was here in the south,

521
00:25:27,500 --> 00:25:29,933
in the city of Sweida,

522
00:25:29,933 --> 00:25:32,400
the heartland of 
Syria's Druze.

523
00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:34,766
(Druze singing and chanting)

524
00:25:34,766 --> 00:25:37,666
The Druze are a minority 
religious group,

525
00:25:37,666 --> 00:25:40,600
an ancient offshoot 
of Shia Islam.

526
00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,266
And since al-Sharaa 
came to power,

527
00:25:43,266 --> 00:25:45,200
they have been reluctant to 
support him,

528
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:48,533
or trust his 
jihadist followers.

529
00:25:48,533 --> 00:25:50,066
(Druze clapping and chanting)

530
00:25:50,066 --> 00:25:52,000
>> SHAKIB AZZAM 
(speaking Arabic):

531
00:26:01,333 --> 00:26:02,866
>> SMITH: Shakib Azzam 
is commander

532
00:26:02,866 --> 00:26:04,500
of a large Druze militia 
called the Mountain Brigade.

533
00:26:05,766 --> 00:26:08,800
His people, he said, 
felt excluded.

534
00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:10,433
He complained that the new 
government

535
00:26:10,433 --> 00:26:13,366
was stacked with 
al-Sharaa's own people.

536
00:26:13,366 --> 00:26:14,700
>> AZZAM:

537
00:26:34,766 --> 00:26:36,966
>> AL-SHARAA:

538
00:26:41,266 --> 00:26:43,033
>> SMITH: The complaint 
that I heard is that

539
00:26:43,033 --> 00:26:44,966
Sharaa was 
stocking his cabinet

540
00:26:44,966 --> 00:26:48,166
with friends from 
his government in Idlib,

541
00:26:48,166 --> 00:26:51,100
and they were 
all fellow Islamists.

542
00:26:51,100 --> 00:26:53,733
Was it inevitable 
that al-Sharaa did that?

543
00:26:53,733 --> 00:26:55,033
>> I should think it is.

544
00:26:55,033 --> 00:26:56,933
You know, 
he's been fighting a war

545
00:26:56,933 --> 00:26:58,566
since he's 20 years old.

546
00:26:58,566 --> 00:26:59,966
He's been a warrior.

547
00:26:59,966 --> 00:27:02,066
He's been leading a militia

548
00:27:02,066 --> 00:27:04,500
that is deeply Islamist.

549
00:27:04,500 --> 00:27:08,166
When he first got to Idlib, 
he said,

550
00:27:08,166 --> 00:27:11,866
"This is going to be 
an entity for Sunnis."

551
00:27:11,866 --> 00:27:16,466
And so there's this 
deep Sunni supremacist attitude

552
00:27:16,466 --> 00:27:18,766
that comes along with him.

553
00:27:18,766 --> 00:27:19,766
>> SMITH: Under scrutiny,

554
00:27:19,766 --> 00:27:22,600
was one of al-Sharaa's 
initial cabinet members.

555
00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:25,633
His justice minister was filmed 
in 2015

556
00:27:25,633 --> 00:27:28,933
overseeing the execution 
of two women in Idlib,

557
00:27:28,933 --> 00:27:31,633
accused of corruption 
and prostitution.

558
00:27:31,633 --> 00:27:36,166
>> (speaking Arabic):

559
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,300
>> SMITH: How do 
you explain his appointment

560
00:27:40,300 --> 00:27:43,766
of a justice minister who is, 
in video,

561
00:27:43,766 --> 00:27:46,800
executing two women?

562
00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:49,633
>> He's gotten 
a lot of protests over this.

563
00:27:49,633 --> 00:27:53,166
There are still extremist 
elements,

564
00:27:53,166 --> 00:27:56,033
and this is the source of 
concern

565
00:27:56,033 --> 00:27:59,000
to many secular Syrians.

566
00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:00,566
Mr. al-Sharaa

567
00:28:00,566 --> 00:28:02,333
is walking a tightrope.

568
00:28:02,333 --> 00:28:06,500
>> SMITH: Al-Sharaa has since 
replaced his justice minister.

569
00:28:06,500 --> 00:28:08,133
And by the end of March,

570
00:28:08,133 --> 00:28:11,000
he formed a new cabinet 
that was much more inclusive.

571
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:12,033
It's very interesting.

572
00:28:12,033 --> 00:28:13,466
Do you speak English?

573
00:28:13,466 --> 00:28:15,766
(voiceover): But these Druze 
leaders may not be assuaged.

574
00:28:15,766 --> 00:28:17,933
They cite too much bad history.

575
00:28:18,333 --> 00:28:20,333
>> (speaking English):

576
00:28:34,566 --> 00:28:38,066
>> SMITH: Ten years earlier, 
members of al-Sharaa's group

577
00:28:38,066 --> 00:28:40,933
executed 20 Druze

578
00:28:40,933 --> 00:28:44,333
in an Idlib village, 
accusing them of heresy.

579
00:28:44,333 --> 00:28:46,533
Al-Sharaa's group 
later said the attack

580
00:28:46,533 --> 00:28:48,066
went against his orders.

581
00:28:48,066 --> 00:28:49,300
There is a very 
important struggle

582
00:28:49,300 --> 00:28:50,466
going on right now...

583
00:28:50,466 --> 00:28:51,833
(voiceover): 
Today in Sweida,

584
00:28:51,833 --> 00:28:54,433
the Druze are refusing to 
give up their guns.

585
00:28:54,433 --> 00:28:56,733
(off camera): How many men 
do you have in arms?

586
00:28:56,733 --> 00:28:59,333
>> AZZAM:

587
00:29:05,866 --> 00:29:08,266
(indistinct chatter)

588
00:29:08,266 --> 00:29:09,600
>> SMITH: 
The day after my meeting

589
00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:11,366
with the Mountain Brigade, 
we got a tip

590
00:29:11,366 --> 00:29:13,233
from a local journalist.

591
00:29:13,233 --> 00:29:15,900
>> PRODUCER (speaking Arabic):

592
00:29:15,900 --> 00:29:17,533
>> SMITH: There was a large 
convoy of al-Sharaa's

593
00:29:17,533 --> 00:29:21,466
soldiers patrolling 
in the nearby countryside.

594
00:29:21,466 --> 00:29:22,733
(off camera): 
That's a big convoy.

595
00:29:22,733 --> 00:29:24,666
>> It is a big convoy.

596
00:29:24,666 --> 00:29:26,833
Okay, let's try to follow them.

597
00:29:28,566 --> 00:29:29,600
>> SMITH: They were going from

598
00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:31,833
town to town in a show of force,

599
00:29:31,833 --> 00:29:34,266
assuring Syrians that al-Sharaa

600
00:29:34,266 --> 00:29:36,766
was restoring order 
in the country.

601
00:29:39,900 --> 00:29:41,233
>> SOLDIER 1 (speaking Arabic):

602
00:29:46,166 --> 00:29:49,066
>> SMITH: But the soldiers were 
also here demanding loyalty,

603
00:29:49,066 --> 00:29:52,300
warning everyone 
in no uncertain terms

604
00:29:52,300 --> 00:29:56,033
to cooperate in the fight 
against any armed resistance

605
00:29:56,033 --> 00:29:57,733
to al-Sharaa's government.

606
00:29:57,733 --> 00:30:00,666
>> SOLDIER 2 (speaking Arabic):

607
00:30:10,333 --> 00:30:12,233
(indistinct chatter)

608
00:30:13,733 --> 00:30:16,733
>> SMITH: At the end of the day, 
these soldiers paused to pray.

609
00:30:16,733 --> 00:30:19,733
A common Muslim ritual.

610
00:30:19,733 --> 00:30:20,800
But Al-Sharaa's forces

611
00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:23,566
are staunchly conservative 
Sunnis.

612
00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:27,333
As seen by the Druze 
from nearby Sweida,

613
00:30:27,333 --> 00:30:29,533
or by defeated Assad loyalists,

614
00:30:29,533 --> 00:30:32,000
rule by a band of Islamists

615
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:33,433
is deeply troubling.

616
00:30:34,566 --> 00:30:37,100
Under Assad 
religion was downplayed.

617
00:30:37,100 --> 00:30:39,200
Assad was an Alawite,

618
00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:41,933
a minority sect of Islam,

619
00:30:41,933 --> 00:30:45,766
but he promoted a largely 
secular vision for Syria.

620
00:30:50,866 --> 00:30:52,633
Assad's base was here

621
00:30:52,633 --> 00:30:55,100
along 
Syria's Mediterranean coast,

622
00:30:55,100 --> 00:30:58,033
in communities with 
a concentration of Alawites.

623
00:31:00,533 --> 00:31:02,100
After Assad's defeat,

624
00:31:02,100 --> 00:31:04,900
some coastal residents 
feared for their safety.

625
00:31:04,900 --> 00:31:07,933
And there were reports 
that some were being targeted.

626
00:31:09,533 --> 00:31:13,233
Then in early March some 
Assad loyalists attacked

627
00:31:13,233 --> 00:31:15,866
one of al-Sharaa's 
government patrols.

628
00:31:16,300 --> 00:31:19,166
>> MAN (speaking Arabic):

629
00:31:19,166 --> 00:31:21,200
>> SMITH: 16 men lay dead.

630
00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:23,933
And more 
lethal attacks followed.

631
00:31:23,933 --> 00:31:28,400
>> AL-SHARAA:

632
00:31:35,266 --> 00:31:37,566
>> And today, 
what we're seeing is a huge

633
00:31:37,566 --> 00:31:38,800
security operation

634
00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:41,666
targeting forces loyal

635
00:31:41,666 --> 00:31:43,266
to the Assad regime.

636
00:31:43,266 --> 00:31:48,533
>> And so there was a general 
mobilization of the military.

637
00:31:48,533 --> 00:31:51,133
And then the mosques 
began to call for jihad.

638
00:31:51,133 --> 00:31:56,133
>> IMAM (speaking Arabic):

639
00:32:05,233 --> 00:32:07,633
(crowd cheers)

640
00:32:07,633 --> 00:32:10,133
>> SMITH: Tensions had been 
building for weeks

641
00:32:10,133 --> 00:32:12,866
with provocative 
online threats, like these,

642
00:32:12,866 --> 00:32:14,700
against the Alawites.

643
00:32:14,700 --> 00:32:17,866
>> (speaking Arabic):

644
00:32:17,866 --> 00:32:20,833
>> SMITH: Some linked 
to suspicious foreign accounts.

645
00:32:20,833 --> 00:32:23,200
>> (speaking Arabic):

646
00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:29,066
>> (speaking Arabic):

647
00:32:29,066 --> 00:32:30,633
>> You know, 
put hate in your hearts,

648
00:32:30,633 --> 00:32:34,600
go to that coast, 
smash the Alawites.

649
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:37,766
>> SMITH: Thousands of 
militia men joined al-Sharaa's

650
00:32:37,766 --> 00:32:40,533
government forces 
and descended on the coast.

651
00:32:40,533 --> 00:32:42,300
(indistinct chatter)

652
00:32:42,300 --> 00:32:46,233
>> And then just a 
flood of videos begin

653
00:32:46,233 --> 00:32:49,500
to come out, and some of the 
soldiers and these militia men

654
00:32:49,500 --> 00:32:51,833
making these Alawites, 
you know long strings of them,

655
00:32:51,833 --> 00:32:53,833
walk on their hands and knees, 
bark like a dog...

656
00:32:53,833 --> 00:32:57,066
>> MAN (speaking Arabic):

657
00:32:57,066 --> 00:32:59,933
>> And then they started 
carrying out these massacres.

658
00:32:59,933 --> 00:33:02,100
(gunfire)

659
00:33:02,100 --> 00:33:04,466
Just shooting people up 
and down.

660
00:33:04,466 --> 00:33:07,366
It was a free for all-- 
and they're having a good time!

661
00:33:07,366 --> 00:33:08,366
>> MILITIA MAN 1 
(speaking Arabic):

662
00:33:12,366 --> 00:33:14,466
>> MILITIA MAN 2 
(speaking Arabic):

663
00:33:14,466 --> 00:33:15,466
>> MILITIA MAN 1 
(speaking Arabic):

664
00:33:19,466 --> 00:33:32,066
>> MAN 
(speaking Arabic on computer):

665
00:33:32,066 --> 00:33:34,766
>> SMITH: This eyewitness says 
three of his family members

666
00:33:34,766 --> 00:33:36,300
were executed.

667
00:33:36,300 --> 00:33:39,000
We're blurring his face 
to protect his identity.

668
00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:40,866
>> MAN:

669
00:33:48,266 --> 00:33:51,100
(man saying prayer)

670
00:34:12,266 --> 00:34:15,666
>> MILITIA MAN 1 
(speaking Arabic):

671
00:34:15,666 --> 00:34:18,200
>> MILITIA MAN 1: 
>> MILITIA MAN 2:

672
00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:20,066
>> SMITH: So, you wake up to 
these images

673
00:34:20,066 --> 00:34:22,900
that are then online and you 
and your wife

674
00:34:22,900 --> 00:34:24,633
are together... 
>> Yeah.

675
00:34:24,633 --> 00:34:26,400
>> SMITH: She's Alawite. 
>> She's Alawite.

676
00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:28,500
>> SMITH: You have relatives, 
in-laws living there.

677
00:34:28,500 --> 00:34:30,233
>> Yeah, you know,

678
00:34:30,233 --> 00:34:33,133
three of my wife's cousins 
wrote us the next day,

679
00:34:33,133 --> 00:34:34,700
people came to their door,

680
00:34:34,700 --> 00:34:36,166
bang, bang, bang.

681
00:34:36,166 --> 00:34:38,200
You open it up, "Who are you?

682
00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:39,600
Sunni or Alawite?"

683
00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:41,166
It was the first thing that 
each one of them

684
00:34:41,166 --> 00:34:42,200
said they were asked.

685
00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:45,433
One cousin, 
who grew up with my son,

686
00:34:45,433 --> 00:34:48,633
um, we knew well, 
was shot at his doorstep.

687
00:34:48,633 --> 00:34:50,666
He was 19, 20 years old.

688
00:34:54,433 --> 00:34:56,333
>> SMITH: Over the course of 
several days,

689
00:34:56,333 --> 00:34:59,100
an estimated 1,200 people 
were killed,

690
00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:00,966
mostly Alawites.

691
00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:06,633
>> AL-SHARAA:

692
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:19,366
>> SMITH: Al-Sharaa called for 
a thorough investigation.

693
00:35:19,366 --> 00:35:22,633
>> AL-SHARAA:

694
00:35:29,866 --> 00:35:31,900
>> This investigation committee,

695
00:35:31,900 --> 00:35:35,100
will they actually 
provide reports

696
00:35:35,100 --> 00:35:36,333
with names?

697
00:35:36,333 --> 00:35:38,733
Will those people 
be held accountable?

698
00:35:38,733 --> 00:35:41,733
Those are real tests, 
so look at them and ask

699
00:35:41,733 --> 00:35:43,833
al-Sharaa, 
"If you do that, we trust you.

700
00:35:43,833 --> 00:35:46,400
If you don't, no, 
we don't trust you."

701
00:35:47,966 --> 00:35:50,100
>> Damascus says it has 
successfully contained

702
00:35:50,100 --> 00:35:52,266
the offensive on the coast.

703
00:35:52,266 --> 00:35:56,133
But while Ahmed al-Sharaa may be 
in control

704
00:35:56,133 --> 00:36:00,433
of some of the men in uniforms, 
he is not in control

705
00:36:00,433 --> 00:36:02,733
of all of them men with guns.

706
00:36:11,500 --> 00:36:14,366
>> SMITH: It is in Syria's far 
northeastern corner

707
00:36:14,366 --> 00:36:17,166
where al-Sharaa faces perhaps 
his biggest challenge.

708
00:36:18,533 --> 00:36:21,000
This is the homeland 
of Syria's Kurds,

709
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:24,266
the largest non-Arab minority 
in Syria.

710
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:29,533
Kurds have long been subject 
to systematic discrimination,

711
00:36:29,533 --> 00:36:31,900
including the arbitrary denial

712
00:36:31,900 --> 00:36:36,400
of citizenship to around 
150,000 Syria-born Kurds,

713
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:39,533
who are not 
allowed to have passports,

714
00:36:39,533 --> 00:36:41,566
who can't own property,

715
00:36:41,566 --> 00:36:44,133
get a marriage license 
or find work.

716
00:36:44,133 --> 00:36:47,833
Whose children are 
also considered non-citizens.

717
00:36:49,700 --> 00:36:52,600
Kurds have not fared well 
elsewhere either.

718
00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:56,233
They form the largest stateless 
ethnic group in the world.

719
00:36:56,233 --> 00:36:58,833
With 30 million 
people concentrated

720
00:36:58,833 --> 00:37:00,833
in an area straddling Turkey,

721
00:37:00,833 --> 00:37:04,500
Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

722
00:37:04,500 --> 00:37:08,100
After Syria's civil war began 
in 2012,

723
00:37:08,100 --> 00:37:11,366
Kurds here in the northeast 
broke free of Assad,

724
00:37:11,366 --> 00:37:13,733
and established a 
semi-autonomous region

725
00:37:13,733 --> 00:37:16,933
they called Rojava.

726
00:37:16,933 --> 00:37:20,833
How did Syria ever 
lose control of the northeast?

727
00:37:20,833 --> 00:37:25,433
>> When Assad's forces faced 
massive armed opposition

728
00:37:25,433 --> 00:37:27,933
during the Arab Spring,

729
00:37:27,933 --> 00:37:29,700
they pulled troops out 
of the northeast

730
00:37:29,700 --> 00:37:31,666
to hold off against the 
opposition,

731
00:37:31,666 --> 00:37:33,566
the resistance in 
the rest of the country.

732
00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:36,300
So the Kurds split off

733
00:37:36,300 --> 00:37:39,566
and they're currently 
a state within a state.

734
00:37:40,733 --> 00:37:43,333
>> NEWSCASTER 
(speaking Kermanji):

735
00:37:49,433 --> 00:37:50,633
(cheers and applause)

736
00:37:50,633 --> 00:37:53,200
>> SMITH: I went to Rojava in 
April 2025.

737
00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:56,233
To see and hear the Kurd's 
powerful

738
00:37:56,233 --> 00:37:58,300
and immensely popular 
rebel leader,

739
00:37:58,300 --> 00:38:01,633
General Mazloum Abdi Kobane.

740
00:38:01,633 --> 00:38:04,033
>> MAZLOUM (speaking Kermanji):

741
00:38:30,333 --> 00:38:33,300
(cheers and applause)

742
00:38:35,233 --> 00:38:36,500
>> SMITH: After the conference,

743
00:38:36,500 --> 00:38:39,433
I met with General Mazloum 
at his headquarters.

744
00:38:41,100 --> 00:38:42,866
I want to begin by talking about

745
00:38:42,866 --> 00:38:44,800
this unity conference

746
00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:46,366
that took place yesterday.

747
00:38:46,366 --> 00:38:48,500
I was there; 
what is the significance

748
00:38:48,500 --> 00:38:52,200
of the declaration that 
came out of that conference?

749
00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:55,200
>> MAZLOUM:

750
00:39:07,166 --> 00:39:09,266
>> SMITH: Do the people trust

751
00:39:09,266 --> 00:39:13,433
a former al-Qaeda commander 
to rule Syria,

752
00:39:13,433 --> 00:39:16,100
or to preserve 
or to give you autonomy?

753
00:39:16,100 --> 00:39:20,133
>> MAZLOUM:

754
00:39:31,466 --> 00:39:33,700
>> SMITH: From al-Sharaa's 
perspective,

755
00:39:33,700 --> 00:39:37,233
integrating the Kurds 
back into Syria is essential.

756
00:39:37,233 --> 00:39:39,433
He needed to make a deal.

757
00:39:39,433 --> 00:39:41,666
And why is Northeast Syria

758
00:39:41,666 --> 00:39:44,066
important to al-Sharaa?

759
00:39:44,066 --> 00:39:45,333
>> I mean, Northeastern Syria

760
00:39:45,333 --> 00:39:48,166
contains 80% of Syria's 
natural energy resources.

761
00:39:49,366 --> 00:39:52,266
So oil and gas, 
hugely significant,

762
00:39:52,266 --> 00:39:54,900
the lifeblood 
of the Syrian economy.

763
00:39:55,933 --> 00:39:57,466
And then on top of that,

764
00:39:57,466 --> 00:39:59,300
it's the agricultural 
belt of the country.

765
00:39:59,300 --> 00:40:01,700
So if Syria is able 
to get anywhere close to feeding

766
00:40:01,700 --> 00:40:04,600
itself, 
it needs that region of Syria.

767
00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:06,400
Without that under 
Damascus's control,

768
00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:07,800
there really is no hope.

769
00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:11,166
>> And then there's water.

770
00:40:11,166 --> 00:40:13,466
Rojava controls 
the Euphrates River,

771
00:40:13,466 --> 00:40:14,933
in part, and the dam.

772
00:40:14,933 --> 00:40:18,933
So that northeast, 
very important

773
00:40:18,933 --> 00:40:22,733
for the economy, oil, 
agriculture, water.

774
00:40:22,733 --> 00:40:24,166
(officer shouting command)

775
00:40:24,166 --> 00:40:28,433
>> SMITH: Mazloum also leads 
a 100,000 man U.S.-backed army

776
00:40:28,433 --> 00:40:31,066
the Syrian Democratic Forces 
or SDF,

777
00:40:31,066 --> 00:40:35,100
which is battle-hardened 
and well-supplied.

778
00:40:36,266 --> 00:40:38,766
The Americans trained 
and equipped the SDF

779
00:40:38,766 --> 00:40:40,666
to help them defeat ISIS

780
00:40:40,666 --> 00:40:43,366
after a large swath 
of Kurdish territory

781
00:40:43,366 --> 00:40:46,000
was seized by ISIS in 2014.

782
00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:48,833
>> The SDF definitely has 
some power

783
00:40:48,833 --> 00:40:50,800
in the negotiation with Sharaa,

784
00:40:50,800 --> 00:40:54,400
not only in terms of the 
resources, but also because

785
00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:56,966
they have a pretty robust 
military

786
00:40:56,966 --> 00:40:58,433
that's been trained by the 
United States

787
00:40:58,433 --> 00:40:59,566
and the Global Coalition, too.

788
00:40:59,566 --> 00:41:02,000
(soldiers shouting)

789
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:03,500
And some have said

790
00:41:03,500 --> 00:41:05,766
that it might even be 
a larger military

791
00:41:05,766 --> 00:41:07,533
than the one 
that's currently in Damascus.

792
00:41:09,533 --> 00:41:13,266
>> SMITH: But the Kurds 
still have an ISIS problem.

793
00:41:13,266 --> 00:41:15,966
They have around 10,000 
suspected ISIS fighters

794
00:41:15,966 --> 00:41:18,133
locked up in Kurdish prisons,

795
00:41:18,133 --> 00:41:20,700
along with two massive camps

796
00:41:20,700 --> 00:41:23,200
filled with 40,000 women 
and children,

797
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:25,966
the families of these prisoners.

798
00:41:28,100 --> 00:41:30,000
In the Kurdish city of Hasakah,

799
00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:31,800
I was allowed a look inside

800
00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:33,033
one of these prisons.

801
00:41:33,033 --> 00:41:34,833
(off-camera): Can I look 
in some of these cells?

802
00:41:34,833 --> 00:41:36,966
This one, 
filled with foreign fighters.

803
00:41:36,966 --> 00:41:38,133
(off-camera): 
Do you speak English?

804
00:41:38,133 --> 00:41:40,200
>> Yeah. 
>> SMITH: Your brothers in this,

805
00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:41,833
in this cell, 
tell me, where are they from?

806
00:41:41,833 --> 00:41:43,166
Where, what countries?

807
00:41:43,166 --> 00:41:45,166
>> There's people from 
all over the world with me.

808
00:41:45,166 --> 00:41:46,700
>> SMITH: 
Just foreigners together.

809
00:41:46,700 --> 00:41:50,400
(voiceover): The Kurds need help 
repatriating these prisoners.

810
00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:52,733
No one wants to take them.

811
00:41:52,733 --> 00:41:53,933
The Kurds have

812
00:41:53,933 --> 00:41:57,433
something like 29 prisons full

813
00:41:57,433 --> 00:42:00,966
of ISIS prisoners.

814
00:42:00,966 --> 00:42:03,533
You're trying 
to repatriate them...

815
00:42:03,533 --> 00:42:06,000
>> MAZLOUM:

816
00:42:17,133 --> 00:42:19,133
>> SMITH: 
After weeks of negotiations,

817
00:42:19,133 --> 00:42:22,300
Mazloum set out for Damascus 
to meet al-Sharaa

818
00:42:22,300 --> 00:42:23,700
and hammer out an agreement

819
00:42:23,700 --> 00:42:26,333
on Kurdish rights, autonomy,

820
00:42:26,333 --> 00:42:29,566
on resources, 
the military and ISIS.

821
00:42:29,566 --> 00:42:31,033
(camera shutters clicking)

822
00:42:31,033 --> 00:42:35,533
>> The broad outlines were 
that Mazloum would put the SDF,

823
00:42:35,533 --> 00:42:38,366
the Syrian Democratic Forces, 
under the authority

824
00:42:38,366 --> 00:42:40,700
of the Ministry of Defense, 
in Damascus.

825
00:42:40,700 --> 00:42:42,333
And, uh,

826
00:42:42,333 --> 00:42:44,833
and they came up with 
an agreement on oil

827
00:42:44,833 --> 00:42:48,466
that was going to give the Kurds 
a big share of all oil revenues.

828
00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:52,066
>> SMITH: And finally, 
there were issues concerning

829
00:42:52,066 --> 00:42:54,466
Kurdish status in the new Syria.

830
00:42:54,466 --> 00:42:55,900
Al-Sharaa specifically

831
00:42:55,900 --> 00:42:58,700
agreed to recognize Kurds 
as fully Syrian

832
00:42:58,700 --> 00:43:02,233
and he guaranteed 
their constitutional rights.

833
00:43:02,233 --> 00:43:04,833
>> The Kurds want Syria 
to be called

834
00:43:04,833 --> 00:43:06,766
the Syrian Republic.

835
00:43:06,766 --> 00:43:08,466
So it'd be 
Syria for all Syrians.

836
00:43:08,466 --> 00:43:10,266
Traditionally,

837
00:43:10,266 --> 00:43:12,333
it's been 
the Syrian Arab Republic.

838
00:43:12,333 --> 00:43:13,900
(cheering, car horns honking)

839
00:43:13,900 --> 00:43:16,400
>> SMITH: Initially, Kurds 
celebrated the agreement.

840
00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:18,600
>> CROWD (chanting in Arabic):

841
00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:20,400
>> Breaking news.

842
00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:21,900
Syria's government 
has struck a deal.

843
00:43:21,900 --> 00:43:23,000
After weeks of negotiations

844
00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:24,866
between Damascus 
and the Kurds...

845
00:43:24,866 --> 00:43:27,066
>> The Syrian state 
is recognizing

846
00:43:27,066 --> 00:43:28,500
the Kurdish community

847
00:43:28,500 --> 00:43:30,100
as an integral part of Syria.

848
00:43:30,100 --> 00:43:32,933
That is a 
major, major development...

849
00:43:32,933 --> 00:43:34,666
>> SMITH: Then three days later,

850
00:43:34,666 --> 00:43:37,466
al-Sharaa issued 
a new Syrian constitution.

851
00:43:37,466 --> 00:43:41,066
It was not 
what Mazloum envisioned.

852
00:43:41,066 --> 00:43:43,100
>> It said Syrian Arab Republic.

853
00:43:43,100 --> 00:43:45,166
Right at the top.

854
00:43:45,166 --> 00:43:46,633
And it didn't 
write the Kurds in.

855
00:43:46,633 --> 00:43:48,566
It didn't give them 
representation.

856
00:43:48,566 --> 00:43:50,400
It didn't outline the agreement.

857
00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:53,466
>> SMITH: 
The constitution did promise

858
00:43:53,466 --> 00:43:55,333
to protect minority rights,

859
00:43:55,333 --> 00:43:58,533
but the Kurds said 
the language was too vague.

860
00:43:58,533 --> 00:44:00,533
The document also

861
00:44:00,533 --> 00:44:05,066
contained article 3 which deals 
with Islamic jurisprudence.

862
00:44:05,066 --> 00:44:08,133
>> It was changed from 
"Islamic law

863
00:44:08,133 --> 00:44:10,433
"will be a source

864
00:44:10,433 --> 00:44:13,566
of law--" that's what it was 
under Assad.

865
00:44:13,566 --> 00:44:16,433
Now, it's, "Islamic law

866
00:44:16,433 --> 00:44:19,500
will be the source of law."

867
00:44:19,500 --> 00:44:22,933
So, this makes it very 
potentially

868
00:44:22,933 --> 00:44:25,166
Sharia law will become 
the law of the land.

869
00:44:25,166 --> 00:44:29,466
This sent a shudder through many 
of the minority communities.

870
00:44:29,466 --> 00:44:32,400
>> MAN (speaking Kermanji):

871
00:44:33,533 --> 00:44:35,866
>> MAN (speaking Kermanji):

872
00:44:43,266 --> 00:44:44,933
(woman speaking on loudspeaker)

873
00:44:44,933 --> 00:44:46,633
>> MAZLOUM:

874
00:44:50,366 --> 00:44:52,066
>> SMITH: I would imagine 
you were tempted

875
00:44:52,066 --> 00:44:53,633
to pick up the phone 
and call al-Sharaa and say,

876
00:44:53,633 --> 00:44:54,633
"What's going on?"

877
00:44:55,800 --> 00:44:58,800
>> MAZLOUM:

878
00:44:59,966 --> 00:45:01,333
>> SMITH: In an open letter,

879
00:45:01,333 --> 00:45:03,866
Kurdish authorities laid out 
their complete rejection

880
00:45:03,866 --> 00:45:05,700
of the new constitution

881
00:45:05,700 --> 00:45:09,033
and its attempt 
to recreate a dictatorship.

882
00:45:09,033 --> 00:45:13,033
Syria, they wrote, "is 
a homeland for all its people.

883
00:45:13,033 --> 00:45:15,266
"We will not accept 
the reconstruction

884
00:45:15,266 --> 00:45:17,633
of an authoritarian regime."

885
00:45:17,633 --> 00:45:19,933
>> CROWD (chanting Arabic):

886
00:45:21,033 --> 00:45:22,533
>> SMITH: To date,

887
00:45:22,533 --> 00:45:26,166
al-Sharaa has decided not 
to revise the constitution.

888
00:45:26,166 --> 00:45:28,900
>> (speaking Kermanji):

889
00:45:28,900 --> 00:45:30,366
>> SMITH: The question I have is

890
00:45:30,366 --> 00:45:32,866
how he could, 
three days after having this

891
00:45:32,866 --> 00:45:34,233
deal signed with Mazloum,

892
00:45:34,233 --> 00:45:37,033
come out with a constitutional

893
00:45:37,033 --> 00:45:40,466
declaration at the very top it 
says the Syrian Arab Republic.

894
00:45:40,466 --> 00:45:41,700
>> Yes.

895
00:45:41,700 --> 00:45:45,066
That is a glaring piece 
that has not been fixed.

896
00:45:45,066 --> 00:45:46,566
He's making mistakes...

897
00:45:46,566 --> 00:45:47,800
>> SMITH (voiceover): 
I went back

898
00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:50,666
to speak via Zoom 
with Ambassador Barbara Leaf.

899
00:45:50,666 --> 00:45:52,966
>> If he wants a stable Syria,

900
00:45:52,966 --> 00:45:56,333
he's going to be compelled 
to take into account

901
00:45:56,333 --> 00:45:59,966
the changed landscape of Syria.

902
00:45:59,966 --> 00:46:02,333
Changed by 14 years

903
00:46:02,333 --> 00:46:05,233
of this brutal civil war, 
but he has

904
00:46:05,233 --> 00:46:07,733
to look at 
a longer scope of history

905
00:46:07,733 --> 00:46:11,633
where these communities 
were pitted against one another.

906
00:46:11,633 --> 00:46:14,000
So the high degree of mistrust

907
00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:18,733
is in multiple directions, 
but they all mistrust Damascus.

908
00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:22,400
(passing traffic)

909
00:46:26,500 --> 00:46:28,933
>> SMITH: I wanted to hear 
al-Sharaa's response

910
00:46:28,933 --> 00:46:30,266
to all the turmoil

911
00:46:30,266 --> 00:46:31,900
around the country.

912
00:46:31,900 --> 00:46:35,966
I repeatedly pressed for 
an interview-- to no avail.

913
00:46:37,900 --> 00:46:39,666
We did visit this courthouse

914
00:46:39,666 --> 00:46:42,400
in the city of Homs, 
central Syria.

915
00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:47,400
We met this man, 
chief judge Hassan al Aqraa,

916
00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:50,066
a staunch 
supporter of al-Sharaa.

917
00:46:51,400 --> 00:46:53,033
At the time, al Aqraa was

918
00:46:53,033 --> 00:46:55,066
systematically going through 
all the files

919
00:46:55,066 --> 00:46:57,366
that were seized 
from the Assad regime.

920
00:46:57,366 --> 00:47:00,666
He said new laws 
were still being written.

921
00:47:01,766 --> 00:47:03,400
>> AL AQRAA (speaking Arabic):

922
00:47:30,400 --> 00:47:33,200
>> AL-SHARAA:

923
00:47:48,666 --> 00:47:49,933
>> SMITH: In May,

924
00:47:49,933 --> 00:47:51,966
President Trump made 
a trip to the Middle East.

925
00:47:53,366 --> 00:47:56,166
There was a jolt 
of good news for al-Sharaa.

926
00:47:56,166 --> 00:47:58,700
>> After discussing the 
situation in Syria

927
00:47:58,700 --> 00:48:00,066
with the Crown Prince,

928
00:48:00,066 --> 00:48:02,333
your Crown Prince... 
(cheers and applause)

929
00:48:02,333 --> 00:48:03,800
>> SMITH: In Saudi Arabia,

930
00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:05,833
Trump announced that 
economic sanctions

931
00:48:05,833 --> 00:48:08,100
imposed during the Assad regime

932
00:48:08,100 --> 00:48:09,866
would finally be lifted.

933
00:48:09,866 --> 00:48:13,000
>> I will be ordering 
the cessation of sanctions

934
00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:14,900
against Syria 
in order to give them

935
00:48:14,900 --> 00:48:17,500
a chance at greatness.

936
00:48:17,500 --> 00:48:18,800
(cheers and applause)

937
00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:21,400
>> SMITH: Despite opposition 
from some hawks in D.C.,

938
00:48:21,400 --> 00:48:24,833
Trump was widely praised 
for the move.

939
00:48:24,833 --> 00:48:26,733
People in the administration

940
00:48:26,733 --> 00:48:30,466
were opposed to this, 
so what was behind all that?

941
00:48:30,466 --> 00:48:34,166
>> I think it's very clear 
what was behind that.

942
00:48:34,166 --> 00:48:36,700
He heard over the last 
several months

943
00:48:36,700 --> 00:48:40,600
consistently from the Saudis, 
from Erdogan, from others,

944
00:48:40,600 --> 00:48:44,033
that this was an 
existential moment for Syria

945
00:48:44,033 --> 00:48:47,566
to get onto a path-- 
a long one, albeit--

946
00:48:47,566 --> 00:48:49,733
but a path 
of recovery and successful

947
00:48:49,733 --> 00:48:52,333
political and economic 
and security transition.

948
00:48:52,333 --> 00:48:54,666
And that that would be good 
for regional interests,

949
00:48:54,666 --> 00:48:56,866
that would be good for 
U.S. interests.

950
00:48:58,900 --> 00:49:02,366
>> SMITH: The following day, 
al-Sharaa and Trump met.

951
00:49:02,366 --> 00:49:04,900
The former al-Qaeda commander, 
who spent

952
00:49:04,900 --> 00:49:07,533
years in American prison camps 
in Iraq,

953
00:49:07,533 --> 00:49:10,566
accused of making powerful 
roadside bombs,

954
00:49:10,566 --> 00:49:12,533
had come a long way.

955
00:49:12,533 --> 00:49:14,266
>> Young, attractive guy.

956
00:49:14,266 --> 00:49:16,866
Tough guy, you know?

957
00:49:16,866 --> 00:49:20,033
Strong past, very strong past. 
Fighter.

958
00:49:20,033 --> 00:49:22,966
♪ ♪

959
00:49:22,966 --> 00:49:25,133
>> The situation is very fluid,

960
00:49:25,133 --> 00:49:28,300
we just have to wait 
and see what happens.

961
00:49:28,300 --> 00:49:31,800
We need to see this 
new administration

962
00:49:31,800 --> 00:49:34,166
be inclusive of all Syrians.

963
00:49:34,166 --> 00:49:36,400
We need to make sure

964
00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:40,766
that Syria will no longer be 
a center of terrorism.

965
00:49:40,766 --> 00:49:42,766
(siren blaring)

966
00:49:42,766 --> 00:49:44,733
>> If Syria can be united

967
00:49:44,733 --> 00:49:49,133
and stable 
and Iran can be kept out,

968
00:49:49,133 --> 00:49:52,533
then the temporary tactical 
defeat of Iran and proxies

969
00:49:52,533 --> 00:49:54,933
will become a permanent defeat.

970
00:49:54,933 --> 00:49:58,533
If not, if Syria becomes a 
failed state, if it goes back

971
00:49:58,533 --> 00:50:01,233
to active fighting 
and various outside forces

972
00:50:01,233 --> 00:50:02,733
intervening and split up,

973
00:50:02,733 --> 00:50:04,466
it will open 
the door for Iran again.

974
00:50:04,466 --> 00:50:06,433
(protesters shouting)

975
00:50:06,433 --> 00:50:08,266
>> SMITH: 
As we were leaving Syria,

976
00:50:08,266 --> 00:50:12,166
events underscored just 
how fragile al-Sharaa's rule is.

977
00:50:12,166 --> 00:50:13,800
(gunfire)

978
00:50:13,800 --> 00:50:16,633
Sectarian clashes 
erupted in several cities,

979
00:50:16,633 --> 00:50:20,000
after a Druze religious 
leader was falsely accused

980
00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:21,833
of insulting 
the Prophet Muhammad.

981
00:50:21,833 --> 00:50:23,533
(people shouting, horn blaring)

982
00:50:23,533 --> 00:50:26,800
Around one hundred 
Druze militia men

983
00:50:26,800 --> 00:50:28,400
and government 
security forces were killed.

984
00:50:29,933 --> 00:50:32,000
>> NETANYAHU (speaking Hebrew):

985
00:50:35,533 --> 00:50:38,133
>> SMITH: The Israelis, 
with a large Druze minority

986
00:50:38,133 --> 00:50:40,700
at home, 
have been issuing warnings

987
00:50:40,700 --> 00:50:44,066
to al-Sharaa 
not to harm the Druze.

988
00:50:44,066 --> 00:50:46,866
>> Israel carried out 
airstrikes today in Damascus...

989
00:50:46,866 --> 00:50:48,100
>> SMITH: To make their point,

990
00:50:48,100 --> 00:50:50,266
an Israel missile landed 
right outside

991
00:50:50,266 --> 00:50:52,500
al-Sharaa's palace gates.

992
00:50:52,500 --> 00:50:56,533
>> ...a direct message to stop 
threatening the Druze community.

993
00:50:56,533 --> 00:50:58,966
♪ ♪

994
00:50:58,966 --> 00:51:01,466
>> SMITH: For now, 
al-Sharaa remains popular

995
00:51:01,466 --> 00:51:03,933
with the majority of Syrians.

996
00:51:03,933 --> 00:51:07,366
But he has been keeping 
a lower profile of late,

997
00:51:07,366 --> 00:51:10,366
avoiding most interviews.

998
00:51:10,366 --> 00:51:12,200
I mean, 
he enjoyed a honeymoon.

999
00:51:12,200 --> 00:51:14,600
He talked 
to diplomats like yourself.

1000
00:51:14,600 --> 00:51:16,166
He talked to journalists.

1001
00:51:16,166 --> 00:51:19,000
He visited 
other regional states.

1002
00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:22,033
But he's been relatively quiet.

1003
00:51:22,033 --> 00:51:24,500
He's not in 
a honeymoon phase anymore.

1004
00:51:24,500 --> 00:51:27,400
>> No. And governance is hard.

1005
00:51:27,400 --> 00:51:30,466
The easy part 
is going on a foreign trip,

1006
00:51:30,466 --> 00:51:33,033
but the hardest part 
is internally.

1007
00:51:33,033 --> 00:51:34,033
It's governance.

1008
00:51:35,533 --> 00:51:39,133
It's the daily slog 
of reconstructing

1009
00:51:39,133 --> 00:51:42,366
an administrative apparatus,

1010
00:51:42,366 --> 00:51:44,066
which is pretty worn and torn

1011
00:51:44,066 --> 00:51:45,800
and riddled with corruption.

1012
00:51:45,800 --> 00:51:49,900
From the years of destruction 
of the Assad family rule.

1013
00:51:49,900 --> 00:51:51,733
(siren blaring)

1014
00:51:51,733 --> 00:51:54,066
It's a hard, hard road ahead.

1015
00:51:54,066 --> 00:51:59,066
♪ ♪

1016
00:52:35,033 --> 00:52:37,200
>> NARRATOR: Go to 
pbs.org/frontline.

1017
00:52:37,200 --> 00:52:40,033
>> Bashar al-Assad has clung 
on to power through years

1018
00:52:40,033 --> 00:52:41,300
of civil war.

1019
00:52:41,300 --> 00:52:44,066
But now a new rebel movement has 
managed to topple his regime.

1020
00:52:44,066 --> 00:52:46,333
>> NARRATOR: For all our past 
reporting on Syria

1021
00:52:46,333 --> 00:52:49,400
and more on the human toll of 
the Syrian War.

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00:52:49,400 --> 00:52:52,400
>> Human rights organizations 
estimate that tens of thousands

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00:52:52,400 --> 00:52:55,533
of people have disappeared since 
the Syrian conflict began.

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00:52:55,533 --> 00:52:57,900
Connect with FRONTLINE on 
Facebook and Instagram

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00:52:57,900 --> 00:53:00,666
and stream anytime 
on the PBS app,

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00:53:00,666 --> 00:53:04,133
YouTube, or pbs.org/frontline.

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00:53:24,633 --> 00:53:25,633
Captioned by

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00:53:25,633 --> 00:53:26,633
Media Access Group at WGBH

1029
00:53:26,633 --> 00:53:29,133
access.wgbh.org

1030
00:53:32,800 --> 00:53:35,133
>> For more on this and other 
"FRONTLINE" programs,

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00:53:35,133 --> 00:53:39,300
visit our website at 
pbs.org/frontline.

1032
00:53:39,300 --> 00:53:54,133
♪ ♪

1033
00:53:54,133 --> 00:53:56,933
FRONTLINE's "Syria After Assad"

1034
00:53:56,933 --> 00:53:58,766
is available on Amazon 
Prime Video.

1035
00:53:58,766 --> 00:54:03,766
♪ ♪