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Jabhat al-Nusra / Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Syria)

image by Zoltan Horvath, 01 December 2014

Jabhat al-Nusra
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Al-Quida, Nusra Front, variant

See also:

Nusra

There's flag of a group affiliated with al-Qaida called "Jabhat al Nusra". At the top of the flag is the generic "shahada" of Islam: "There is no god but Allah ... Muhammad is the messenger of Allah". The flag's bottom line reads in Arabic: "Jabhat al Nusra". c. June 2013.
William Garrison, 26 June 2013

Further information on this group Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra (Arabic: جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام‎ Jabhat an-Nuşrah li-Ahl ash-Shām, "The Support Front for the People of Levant") can be found at:
http://www.aljazeera.com/category/organisation/jabhat-al-nusra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Nusra_Front
al Nusra Front is part of the coalition of opposition forces to the current regime.
Esteban Rivera, 21 December 2013

"The al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra (JN, Arabic: جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام‎ Jabhat an-Nuşrah li-Ahli ash-Shām, "The Support Front for the People of Al-Sham"), sometimes called Tanzim Qa'edat Al-Jihad fi Bilad Al-Sham or Al-Qaeda in Syria, is a branch of al-Qaeda operating in Syria and Lebanon.
The group announced its creation on 23 January 2012, during the Syrian Civil War. Since then, it has been described as "the most aggressive and successful", or "one of the most effective rebel forces" in Syria,until the formation of the Islamic State.
Al-Nusra aims to overthrow the Assad regime and replace it with a Sunni Islamic state. Although it is affiliated with Al Qaeda, al-Nusra does not emphasize (on) Western targets or global jihad, focusing instead on the “near enemy” of the Syrian state.
Even though is allied with Isis, it has had armed engagments against them over some time, since Isis was an offshot of Al Qaeda who grew stronger and decided to split, while al-Nusra was a branch of Al Qaeda and remain loyal to it.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant#Declaration_and_dispute_with_al-Nusra_Front
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Nusra_Front#Split_with_Islamic_State_of_Iraq
Their flag is seen here.
Esteban Rivera, 15 November 2014

This is the flag of the al Nusra Front seen at this video by al Jazeera yesterda (from 0:53 onwards):
Esteban Rivera, 20 November 2014

images by Randy Young, 7 October 2016

On September 27 2016 I came across this Wikipedia entry article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabhat_Fateh_al-Sham) mentioning the name change of Jabhat al Nusra into Jabhat Fateh al-Sham this group, a formal separation from al-Qaeda.

The name change was in part because of coordination from the US and Russia to target groups that are not supported by them, of which al-Nusra was a target for the US but not by Russia. Also, the establishment in early July of the Tajammu Ahl al-'Ilm bish-Sham (Assembly of al-Sham Scholars, which aims in particular to establish an independent supreme judicial authority to arbitrate among different factions, urging them to come together and accept such an authority) was with the purpose of "severing ties with al-Qaeda" (announced on July 25).

"On July 28, 2016, Jabhat al-Nusra, which had previously identified itself as a branch of al-Qa'ida in Syria, announced the changing of its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham ('Conquest of al-Sham Front') in a video recording that for the first time revealed the appearance of its leader"

images by Randy Young, 7 October 2016

They have used two flags:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Nusra_Front#/media/File:Flag_of_the_Al-Nusra_Front.svg and a variant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Nusra_Front#/media/File:Flag_of_the_Al-Nusra_Front_(Variant).svg. The new flag from July 28, 2016 onwards is this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Nusra_Front#/media/File:Flag_of_Jabhat_Fatah_al-Sham.svg
Sources: http://www.meforum.org/6267/research-islamic-state-iraq-syria
, http://www.meforum.org/blog/2016/07/syria-nusra-alqaeda and
http://www.meforum.org/6219/jabhat-alnusra-rebranding
Esteban Rivera, 4 October 2016

Al-Qaida, Nusra Front, variant

image located by William Garrison, 22 December 2023

A variation of al-Qaida's Nusra Front flag seen near al-Zahra village, north of Aleppo, Syria; c. Sept. 2019.
Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/islamic-cell-funding-radical-imams-uncovered-in-italy-600996
William Garrison, 22 December 2023

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

image located by William Garrison, 6 November 2018

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (Arabic: هيئة تحرير الشام‎), "Organization for the Liberation of the Levant" or "Levant Liberation Committee"), is an active Salafist jihadist militant group involved in the Syrian Civil War. The group was formed on 28 January 2017 as a merger of several groups, including al-Nusra Front.

Wikimedia Commons cites reports of a new flag in February 2017: https://twitter.com/HKaaman/status/827138720650424321 and https://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2017/2-february-hts--haya-tahrir-shaam-official-flag--
Jonathan Dixon, 6 November 2018