On 9 September 2025, at 15:30 - 17:00 CET, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) will host a Live Briefing to discuss the evolving security situation in Syria since the toppling of the Assad Regime by Hayat al-Sham (HTS).

Since Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has toppled the Assad regime in Syria in late 2024, the security situation has changed significantly within and beyond the borders of Syria. Recent developments in the country suggest a shifting security landscape that may be conducive to a resurgence of ISIS. Notably, the June 2025 suicide bombing on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, which killed 22 people and left more than 60 wounded, underscores ISIS's persistent capacity to carry out terrorist attacks. At the same time, increasing numbers of ISIS-related ambushes, car bombings, and targeted assassinations in parts of Syria and Iraq indicate a reactivation of sleeper cells in the context of existing governance vacuums.

The session will discuss how far the current Syrian caretaker government is capable of now maintaining unity, conducting counter-terrorism operations, and, in particular, succeeding in countering ISIS, given that HTS is still listed as a terrorist organisation by many governments and international and regional institutions. The webinar will further focus on how to achieve meaningful accountability for the atrocities committed by the different parties to the Syrian conflict. With a crippled criminal justice system, the Al-Jolani-led government has established two commissions on missing persons and transitional justice to address past atrocities. However, the fate of the thousands of men, women, and children with alleged links to ISIS detained by the SDF remains uncertain. Against this background, the webinar seeks to provide answers on how a resurgence of ISIS in Syria can be prevented in a rule of law based manner.

Among others, the discussion will focus on the consequences of the withdrawal of international forces in the region, the implications of deteriorating conditions in detention and displacement facilities, transitional justice efforts, and the role that repatriation and prosecution of foreign ISIS affiliates can play in mitigating the threat of a full-scale resurgence.

The event will feature contributions from authoritative speakers:

Moderator – Tanya Mehra LL.M., Programme Lead at the Rule of Law Responses to Terrorism Pillar at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism.

Speaker – Roger Lu Phillips, Legal Director at Syria Justice Accountability Centre and RoL Associate Fellow

Speaker – Aaron Y. Zelin, Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy