Syria has begun a hopeful but uncertain era after rebels seized the capital and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, marking the end of 13 years of civil war. As the country returns to life, the rebels are working on setting up a transitional government, with Ahmed al-Sharaa, the main rebel commander, meeting with Assad’s Prime Minister and Vice President to discuss arrangements.
A source close to the rebels confirmed that Mohamed Al-Bashir, who ran the administration in a small pocket of rebel-held territory, has been nominated to head the transitional authority. Syria’s banks are set to reopen on Tuesday, and staff have been asked to return to offices.
The advance of a militia alliance spearheaded by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) marks a generational turning point for the Middle East, ending a war that killed hundreds of thousands, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times, and left cities bombed to rubble. Millions of refugees could finally go home from camps across Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.
Assad’s fall wipes out one of the main bastions from which Iran and Russia wielded regional power, while Turkey emerges strengthened. The Arab world faces the task of reintegrating one of the Middle East’s pivotal states while containing the militant Sunni Islam that has in the past metastasized into sectarian violence.
HTS is still designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations but has spent years trying to soften its image to reassure foreign states and minority groups within Syria. The group’s leader, Golani, has vowed to rebuild Syria, saying “A new history, my brothers, is being written in the entire region after this great victory.”
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/with-assad-ousted-new-era-starts-syria-world-watches-2024-12-09