Syrian rebels took a year to plan Bashar al-Assad's ouster: Report

Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had been planning to oust President Bashar al-Assad for a year, The Guardian reported quoting HTS commander Abu Hassan al-Hamwi. He added that the rebels had named the operation "Deterring Aggression". A "unified war room" was formed with leaders of around 25 opposition groups to direct the offensive against Assad, al-Hamwi further stated.