The coalition of armed groups in southern Syria, known as the Southern Operations Room (SOR), is hesitant to surrender its weapons to the new Syrian authorities. They express doubts about the dissolution of the armed groups and their integration into the current Syrian Defense Ministry.

Rassim Abu Ara, the spokesman for SOR, stated that they are not convinced by the idea of dissolving the armed groups. They claim to possess heavy weapons and military equipment.

Rassim Abu Ara, who has been separated from the Syrian army since 2012, has been fighting against the Assad government with the Southern Operations Room. He emphasized that they are an organized force in southern Syria, led by defected former army officers.

On December 25, the new Syrian government announced that it had reached an agreement with all armed groups, excluding the Southern Operations Room, to join the new Syrian army and integrate into the Syrian Defense Ministry.

Ahmed al-Auda, the leader of the SOR, was among the first to oppose Bashar al-Assad. On the night of December 7-8, 2024, following the fall of the Assad regime, they entered Damascus and prevented the looting of government institutions.