During the Syrian civil war, al-Bahra applied his background in
communications technology to assist the
Syrian opposition in establishing support networks that facilitated communication between Syrian activists and regional as well as international media. He was involved with opposition activities inside Syria, contributing to media efforts, relief operations, and political initiatives. Al-Bahra joined the
National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces during its expansion on 31 May 2013 and was elected general secretary of its political committee. He was appointed as the chief negotiator for the coalition’s delegation to the
Geneva II Conference on Syria. On 9 July 2014, he was elected president of the coalition in
Istanbul,
Turkey, receiving 62 votes compared to 41 for his closest rival,
Mouaffaq Nyrabia. He served in this role until January 2015. Following the
fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, al-Bahra called for a political transition consistent with
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2554, proposing an 18-month timeline to rebuild institutions and revive Syria’s economy, including six months to draft a new constitution. He relocated to Damascus at the end of December. On 8 January 2025, al-Bahra met with Syria’s new leader,
Ahmed al-Sharaa, at the
Presidential Palace in Damascus to discuss future plans for the country. On 12 February, he held another meeting with al-Sharaa and
Bader Jamous, president of the
Syrian Negotiation Commission. They agreed that both organizations would dissolve under the new Syrian authorities and that the
Syrian National Dialogue Conference would take place later that month. Despite his leadership role in the coalition, al-Bahra was not appointed by al-Sharaa to any cabinet position during the formation of the
Syrian caretaker government or the initial composition of the
Syrian transitional government in March 2025. ==References==