New Syrian Government Names Temporary Leader as US Navigates Rebel Leadership
Mohammed al-Bashir, a former administrative leader in a pocket of rebel-held northwest Syria, assumed the role of caretaker prime minister on Tuesday, marking a key step in the country’s transition following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.
Bashir, who previously led the rebel-administered Salvation Government in Idlib, announced on state television that he will head the interim authority until March 1.
This holiday season, give to:
Truth and understanding
The Media Line's intrepid correspondents are in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan providing first-person reporting.
They all said they cover it.
We see it.
We report with just one agenda: the truth.
“The meeting was under the headline of transferring the files and institutions to caretake the government,” Bashir said, flanked by the opposition flag and a white flag bearing the Islamic oath of faith. He also confirmed that the meeting included officials from both the Idlib rebel government and the ousted regime.
A former engineer with management experience in public sector education and energy, Bashir, who nonetheless has a degree in Sharia, represents a pragmatic and technocratic choice for the transitional government.
In recent days, key institutions in Damascus, including banks and municipal services, have reopened after days of uncertainty. Sources inside the city have also reported that rebel commanders have ordered fighters to withdraw from cities, handing security duties to police aligned with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group that led the anti-Assad offensive.
The US has adopted a cautious approach to the new political reality in Syria, not yet engaging formally with HTS nor formally reconsidering the group’s designation as a terrorist organization, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed Tuesday.
