UK admits contacts with HTS, Hamas continues fighting in Gaza

Today’s international press coverage highlighted Britain’s intelligence ties with Syria’s new rulers and Hamas’s continued resistance in Gaza despite enormous losses.

Britain established early contact with HTS before Assad’s fall

The former chief of Britain’s foreign intelligence service (MI6), Richard Moore, revealed that London set up a “back channel” with HTS in Syria before the fall of al-Assad’s regime, which smoothed the way for Britain’s swift diplomatic return to Damascus after the regime’s collapse, according to The National (UAE).

Moore, speaking at the British Consulate in Istanbul, said communication with the group began after it announced a break with al-Qaeda, even though the UK continued to classify it as a terrorist organization.

He explained that this relationship allowed London to re-establish itself in Syria within weeks, after Ahmad al-Sharaa assumed power and the group was officially “dissolved,” while its leaders retained prominent positions in the new government.

Britain restored diplomatic relations with Damascus this past July, when Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited, the first such visit in 14 years. Before that, National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell had held undisclosed meetings with the new Syrian authorities.

Moore stressed that the Syrian step illustrates the importance of “anticipation” in intelligence work, while also noting ongoing challenges from ISIS and al-Qaeda, alongside MI6’s core priorities of countering Russia, China, and Iran.

With this statement, the newspaper said, Moore provided the first official acknowledgement of Britain’s early understandings with HTS, explaining London’s rapid re-engagement with the Syrian file after Assad’s fall.

Hamas exhausted but still fighting in Gaza

Despite devastating losses in the war, Hamas still retains the ability to fight in Gaza, according to The New York Times.

Israel has claimed to have killed thousands of the group’s fighters and destroyed most of its weapons stockpiles and tunnel networks. Yet, according to the newspaper, Hamas fighters have reorganized into small cells using tactics such as ambushes, IEDs, and hit-and-run attacks.

This week, the Israeli army launched a wide ground assault into Gaza City, hoping to deliver a decisive blow to the group. But analysts argue that completely eliminating Hamas in the near term is impossible.

Although Israeli security estimates suggest only about 15,000 fighters remain, the group continues to conduct impactful operations, killing around 70 Israeli soldiers since January.

And while its capacity for major offensives or large-scale rocket barrages has collapsed, Hamas still manages some civil institutions, pays salaries, and maintains an internal security apparatus, making it, despite its exhaustion, the sole surviving political and military power in Gaza.

A-H 

ANHA