The leader of a governing body that controls the northwestern part of Syria was appointed to be the caretaker prime minister of the country’s transitional government on Tuesday.
Mohammed al-Bashir is the head of the administration that has de facto control over the country’s Idlib region.
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His appointment comes after rebel forces seized the capital Damascus and toppled the regime of President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday.
Abu Mohammed al-Golani is the leader of the main rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. He had expressed his intention to form a new government quickly.
But it remains to be seen whether the various anti-government groups will be able to unite and stably govern the country. Some of them have been designated as terrorist organizations by the United Nations.
No major clashes have been reported in the capital since the rebels took control. Banks resumed operations on Tuesday, and people were seen withdrawing money at ATMs.
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Meanwhile, on Tuesday Reuters news agency cited sources as saying that Israel’s forces had moved beyond the buffer zone with Syria and reached a point about 25 kilometers southwest of Damascus.
Israel’s military issued a statement denying the report. But it has carried out a series of airstrikes on military facilities and other targets in Syria since Assad was ousted.
Syrian caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir has said his government will function until March 1, 2025, when a permanent cabinet is expected to be formed.
Al-Bashir, who previously led the government run by Islamists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Idlib, was appointed after a coalition of opposition groups captured Damascus over the weekend, ousting Syria’s longtime president, Bashar Assad.
In his first interview as prime minister, al-Bashir told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that “members from the old government and some directors from the administration in Idlib” have been invited help “facilitate all the necessary works for the next two months until we have a constitutional system to be able to serve the Syrian people.”
“Now it is time for these people to enjoy stability and calm,” al-Bashir said.