The rebels who deposed President Bashar al-Assad and now rule Syria have nominated Mohammed al-Bashir as the country’s interim leader until March 1. Al-Bashir was also helpful in overthrowing al-Assad’s regime.
“The general command has tasked us with running the transitional government until March 1,” stated a statement claimed to al-Bashir on state television’s Telegram account, referring to him as “the new Syrian prime minister”.
Assad fled Syria after an Islamist-led rebel alliance rushed into Damascus on Sunday, bringing an end to his clan’s five decades of harsh reign.
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the Islamist leader who led the offensive that brought Assad out, has initiated talks on a transition of power and threatened to pursue former senior
His outfit, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, is affiliated with Syria’s Al-Qaeda branch and is classified as a terrorist organization by many Western governments, despite efforts to modify its rhetoric. Middle Eastern states protest Israel’s reported actions within Syria’s buffer zone.
Meanwhile, Turkey has joined certain Middle Eastern countries, notably Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, in accusing Israel of utilizing Assad’s downfall to unleash attacks into a Syrian buffer zone.
This charge comes after Israel’s military revealed that its troops are operating in Syrian territory beyond the demilitarized buffer zones between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The Israeli military said it had destroyed Syria’s military fleet and that it would set up a “sterile defensive.”
Rebel commanders proclaim prominent officials of Assad’s regime wanted for war crimes.
Earlier, Syria’s chief Islamist opposition leader stated that key Assad regime officials implicated in torturing political captives would be identified and prosecuted for war crimes.
It comes after rebel militants claimed that 40 bodies found in a hospital morgue bore evidence of torture.
