Syria post-Assad: outlook and implications for the GCC
* While there is plenty to worry about, Syrians are celebrating the end of a brutal regime.
* HTS has become the dominant force in much of Syria, but the balance with other groups is unclear.
* HTS made encouraging pronouncements, including about minorities, women and non-retribution.
* The group and its leader have historic links to al-Qaeda but claim to have rejected that ideology.
* HTS has established an interim government that it says (for now) will govern only until March.
* The Turkish-backed SNA captured Manbij from the Kurdish-led SDF; Turkey is bombing Rojava.
* The SDF handed Deir ez-Zour to HTS, and its control is now largely northeast of the Euphrates.
* Israel is conducting hundreds of air strikes, destroying the navy and air force, and has advanced beyond Golan.
* Gulf states supported rebels in 2011, but some later normalized when it seemed like Assad had won.
* The Gulf is now keen to engage in a unified way, building on old Qatari and Saudi links with rebels.
* If the new government is acceptable, the GCC will likely be a major source of financial support.
* The fall of Assad has further weakened Hizbollah and Iran, which may bolster the Lebanon ceasefire and the prospects for US-Iran negotiations.
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