The radical Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), spearheading the surprise Syrian rebel offensive that toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, must act on its “positive messages” of unity, the UN’s special envoy for Syria said today.

HTS, a former wing of Al-Qaeda in Syria (Al-Nusra), from which it left in 2016, is still labeled a “terrorist” by Western governments.

9 years ago, by decision of the UN Security Council, this organization was added to the list of terrorist organizations, UN envoy Geir Pedersen recalled in an interview he gave in Geneva. “This is a complicating factor» things, he noted.

“However, we must (…) look at what has happened in the last nine years” and “the reality to date is that HTS and the other armed organizations have sent positive messages to the Syrian people“, he underlined, adding that now he must turn her words into action.

Pedersen, who is in contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, went on to say that there was looting and theft on Sunday, particularly in Damascus, “but this shows that it has stopped” and “that’s a good thing”.

Mostly they “sent messages of unity and inclusion and, frankly, we saw reassuring things on the ground in Aleppo and Hama,” the UN official assured, noting that the Abu Mohammad al-Jolaniwho heads HTS, had himself stated in an interview with CNN that “discuss the possibility of disbanding HTS».

However, he emphasized, “we must see that what they say they do on the spot». “The most important test will be how the (political) transition agreements in Damascus will be organized and implemented“, he added.

“If we unite the different sides and communities of Syria, this could be the real beginning of something new for Syria” with the support of the international community and “we could then start to consider the possibility of lifting the sanctions”, he added.

The US and European countries have also said they will judge HTS by its actions, with a key demand being the formation of an inclusive government.

“If all the different organizations and all the communities of Syria have the opportunity to make a new beginning, I am convinced that the international community will reconsider the listing of HTS, because then there will be a real change“, underlined Pedersen.

Bashar al-Assad, who had been in power since 2000, was toppled on Sunday by a surprise attack by Syrian rebels led by HTS after more than 13 years of bloody civil war, which erupted due to the regime’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Over half a million people have lost their lives in this war.

His fall from power marks the beginning of a period of uncertainty for the country, and while humanitarian needs are growing, the UN is short of funding: less than a third of the €4 billion it appealed for in the fund for Syria has been met; UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesman Jens Larke recently said at a press conference in Geneva.

“Syria is today at a crossroads, with great opportunities, but also serious risks,” Pedersen emphasized, saying that “it is important not to witness a conflict» between the various armed organizations.

Concluding, the former Norwegian diplomat also noted that the “blows” and “Israeli movements on Syrian soil“must”to stop».

The Israeli army is deploying its forces in the buffer zone of the Golan, located next to the Israeli-occupied and annexed part of the Heights. The Israeli state has confirmed that it has destroyed “chemical weapons” in Syria in recent days to prevent them from falling into the hands of rebels.