DAMASCUS (dpa-AFX) – Syria is preparing for a change of power after the fall of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad. The country is to be led by a transitional government until March 2025. The previous head of government in the rebel stronghold of Idlib, Mohammed al-Bashir, says he is leading this. Al-Bashir reportedly studied electronics engineering and Islamic law. He is in his early 40s.
The Islamist group HTS launched its offensive from the northwestern province of Idlib. Rebels took the capital Damascus on Sunday after more than 13 years of civil war. President Assad, in office since July 2000, fled to Russia.
While the first people in Damascus are going about their everyday business again, aid organizations are warning that the violence in the country is not yet over.
Smooth transfer of government operations planned
At a meeting in Damascus, the leader of the Islamist group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Ahmed al-Sharaa, who previously went by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani, and ministers from the current government discussed the transition. Both sides are reportedly seeking a smooth transfer of management operations.
Central Bank employees return to work
In a first step towards normality, employees of the Syrian central bank have returned to their jobs, according to eyewitnesses. Residents watched as the employees entered the building in the capital Damascus.
The central bank employees initially stayed away from work due to the uncertain situation. According to eyewitnesses, some people looted the central bank’s headquarters in Damascus on Sunday. Aid organizations then warned that this would make aid to the country more difficult as reliable money transfers would not be possible.
Ministries asked their employees to go back to work.
UN mediator: Israel must stop attacks in Syria
UN special envoy Geir Pedersen calls on Israel to end its ground operations and bombings in Syria. These latest military operations are “very worrying,” said the Syria mediator in Geneva. “This has to stop. This is extremely important,” he said.
After the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Israel carried out its heaviest attacks to date in Syria, according to activists. In less than 12 hours, Israel attacked more than 100 targets in the country, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Pedersen pointed out that although the various armed groups in Syria were currently well coordinated after Assad’s escape, they were still not united. “It is important that conflicts do not arise between these groups,” said the Norwegian UN diplomat.
Israel denies reports of Israeli tanks near Damascus
Israel denied reports that Israeli tanks were also stationed near the Syrian capital Damascus. An Israeli military spokesman wrote on Platform X that reports of Israeli forces approaching Damascus were “completely false.”
Israeli troops are in the buffer zone between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria and at “defense points near the border,” wrote spokesman Avichai Adraee. The aim is to protect the border with Israel. Extensions of the buffer zone are around 50 kilometers from Damascus.
After the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and rebels taking control, Israel moved forces to the buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights and other locations, including on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a temporary measure “until a suitable arrangement is found.”
Fighting between pro-Turkish rebels and Kurds
Pro-Turkish rebels continue to take action against Kurdish militias. After heavy fighting, they captured the northern Syrian city of Manbij from Kurdish militias, as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in Great Britain and dpa activists confirmed. The takeover was preceded by two weeks of fighting, parallel to the advance of the Islamist-led rebel alliance towards Damascus.
Turkey occupies border areas in northern Syria with the support of the SNA, which consists of several rebel groups. Turkey considers the Kurdish militias active there to be an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) and therefore a terrorist organization. On Monday evening, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that he would not tolerate their presence on the border with Turkey./arj/DP/jha