Leading group of Syrian rebels could be removed from UK terror list

An opposition fighter carries a flag of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Damascus. Photograph: Hussein Malla/AP

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the leading group that overthrew the Assad regime in Syria, is not a direct terror threat to the UK, according to western intelligence assessments.

The judgment could mean that the UK, along with the US and EU, will soon remove HTS’s designation as a terror organisation. In the British case, that would help justify direct contact with Syria’s emerging leaders.