[10] The group was founded by eleven Islamist rebel groups on 21 December 2012, including: Ahrar al-Sham, Al-Haqq Brigade in Homs, the Al-Fajr Islamic Movement in Aleppo, Ansar al-Sham in Latakia, Jaysh Al-Tawhid in Deir ez-Zor and Al-Hasakah and the Hamza ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib Brigade in Damascus.

[13] In April 2013, the Haqq Battalions Gathering of Hama Governorate became the first new member to join the Front since its founding,[14] in August 2013 this group was merged with several other Salafist rebel groups in Hama to form a new SIF member unit called Liwa Mujahidi al-Sham.

"[9] Apart from its military operations in the Syrian Civil War, the SIF, and particularly Ahrar al-Sham, diverted considerable resources into humanitarian and other social activities in areas of Syria that they had influence.

[17] The SIF’s leader, Hassan Aboud, revealed himself and his real name for the first time in an 8 June 2013 interview with Al Jazeera.

[19] The SIF then announced on its Google Plus account that it was disbanding and that its component groups would henceforth operate under the umbrella of the Islamic Front.