Who are the Syrian rebels who have captured Damascus – explained in 30 seconds

The rebels are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army

The Irish Syrian Solidarity Movement and Syrians celebrate outside the GPO after the Syrian regime has collapsed due to a rebel offensive which has forced dictator Bashar al-Assad to flee Syria. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

The rebels who have swept through Syria are led by Islamist alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army.

Both have been entrenched in the north-west. They launched the shock offensive on 27 November with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest.