Preparing your experience
An analysis and warning by the Western Syria Alliance about the so-called "Army of the Ummah" project that the de facto authority in Syria seeks to establish, and the escalating regional threat it may represent.
PUBLISHED
July 10, 2025
READ TIME
3 min read
SOURCE
Dr. Ed Kh
Al-Jolani is prepared to strike any deal with any party in order to remain in power, secure his continuity, and establish what is known as the "Army of the Ummah." This is a jihadist army and represents the next greatest threat to Israel. Someone will eventually assassinate al-Jolani, but this army — the Army of the Ummah — will become a greater threat to Israel than Hamas, Iran, or Hezbollah combined.
As for the coastal region, it is inaccurate to say that Alawites are willing to join Turkey. However, despair has taken deep root in the hearts of the coastal population. They had placed great hopes in Israel, especially after Iran and Russia turned against them. We should therefore not be surprised if Turkey now enters under the cover of humanitarian organizations and compensates the coastal population for the fires — fires that al-Jolani and his gang deliberately set. Nor would it be surprising if this resulted in an unconscious and involuntary drift toward Turkey among the population. This is a very plausible scenario. Nothing concrete is happening right now, but if Israel does not act swiftly, I can guarantee that within two to three years Israel will face a flood of jihadist terrorists — the Army of the Ummah — advancing toward its borders. They will be far more dangerous than Hamas and completely beyond any control.
Jihadists will not change their doctrine. Their plan is to send waves of fighters toward Israel to "liberate Jerusalem," according to their creed. We know that some jihadists are connected to global intelligence agencies, and these agencies believe they can control them. But according to an expert with thirty years of experience dealing with jihadists, the tables will be turned. There will be no way to control them.
Betting on them is a fatal mistake. These groups will ultimately turn against their backers. They are currently following a strategy of "empowerment." This strategy is built on allying with the enemy, sacrificing some of their leaders, and changing their outward appearance — all in order to gain broader support. Once they consolidate their control over land, tools, and infrastructure, they revert to their original jihadist roots, bound to their declared mission: the liberation of Jerusalem.
Anyone who believes that money can buy the loyalty of hardline Sunni jihadists is completely mistaken. Their doctrine is stronger than money, and they are not deceived by it. This comes from an expert with more than 25 years of experience in jihadist movements, who says that intelligence officers working today lack any genuine understanding of jihadists or their creed. They wrongly assume that by employing, funding, and supporting these groups they can control them — but this will backfire. The signs are already clear on the ground: nothing has changed in their extremist policies. Even Sunni Muslims in Damascus suffer under their oppression. The killing and displacement do not target only Alawites — they target anyone who dares to oppose them. Nothing has changed.
The great deception today is that al-Jolani is allowing his movement to entrench itself, accumulate funds, grow stronger, and gather more resources — until it becomes an overwhelming force. They are arming, training, and preparing in every way to build what they call the Army of the Ummah.
Western Syria Alliance July 10, 2025
