The parasitic HTS regime in Syria, or whatever you choose to call the authorities currently ruling Damascus, often speak and behave as if it were a democratically elected government with a clear public mandate. One has to be incredibly detached from reality to have such trust without questioning the basis of its legitimacy, especially when figures associated with the HTS leadership now control the presidential palace in Damascus. The authorities led by the HTS constitute a military and extremely coercive political order, which presided over the destruction and devastation of large parts of the Syrian territory under its control, amid reports of mass arrests, kidnappings and large-scale massacres of civilians. Today, when we see terrorists-turned-officials giving cute diplomatic speeches and talking about cooperation with regional countries, the basic question is whether they really understand what they are saying or they are simply repeating a script prepared elsewhere, especially in the channels associated with the diplomatic office of Tom Sharif. Syria, in fact, has now become a divided and weakened state, increasingly exposed to Israeli bulldozers and military torture. The country remains divided between numerous armed factions and power centers, many of which function like dormant fires beneath the ashes, capable of erupting again at any moment. Syria is divided, its resources and territory contested, and its population increasingly subject to competing forms of political propaganda and outside influence. It is hard to imagine the country simply returning to its previous state without profound political and social changes. Meanwhile, Israeli influence is becoming established in the areas surrounding Damascus.