Syria’s Caretaker PM was appointed after Israeli airstrikes on Syrian bases
Mohamed al-Bashir has been appointed as the interim prime minister of Syria until March 1, 2025, he said in a televised statement on Tuesday.
Al-Bashir presided over the rebel-led Salvation Government before opposition forces staged a 12-day blitzkrieg, swept through Damascus and overthrew the Syrian government.
The appointment was announced after the Israeli military attacked Syrian military bases on Tuesday as its forces reportedly advanced deeper into Syria.
Syrian security sources said the Israeli offensive reached about 25 kilometers southwest of Damascus, after Israel seized a stronghold in southern Syria and attacked Syrian troops and airstrikes overnight.
Israel has denied that its troops have advanced into Syria beyond the border buffer zone, saying its aim is to keep weapons from falling into hostile hands.
A Syrian security source said Israeli forces have reached Qatana, which is 10 kilometers into Syrian territory east of the demilitarized zone that separates the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights from Syria.
Israel’s attack on Syria comes two days after the lightning ouster of President Bashar al-Assad by a rebel group, leaving Syrians, regional countries and world powers nervous about what will happen next.
Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani, a spokesman for the Israeli army, said the army remained in a safe area and “a few more points” in the area but denied that there was any major pressure on Syria beyond the divided area.
“IDF soldiers are not advancing on Damascus. This is not something we do or follow in any way,” he said at a press conference.
Israel has said that it will not get involved in the conflict in Syria and that its occupation of the safe zone is a precautionary measure.
Airstrikes clear Syrian military assets, sources say
Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia condemned the attack. Saudi Arabia said the move would “ruin Syria’s chances of restoring security.”
Regional security sources and officials within the now-defunct Syrian army said heavy Israeli airstrikes continued against military installations and airfields across Syria overnight, destroying scores of helicopters and jets, as well as Republican Guard assets in and around Damascus.
The 200-odd attack left no trace of the Syrian army’s assets, they said.
Israel said its airstrikes would continue for several days but told the UN Security Council it was not intervening in Syria. It said it had taken “limited and temporary measures” to protect its security.
With the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, Syrians are searching for those who went missing under his rule – particularly in the country’s notorious Sednaya prison. Meanwhile, the world was waiting to see what the new government would mean for the future.
The United Nations Security Council met behind closed doors on Monday night, and diplomats said they were still shocked at how quickly Assad’s ouster happened, after a 13-year civil war that has been in flux.
“Everyone was surprised, everyone, including the members of the council. So we have to wait and see and watch … and check how the situation will be,” Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the press after the meeting.
The weather in Damascus is still celebrating
Russia played a major role in supporting the Assad government and helping it fight the rebels. The Syrian leader fled Damascus for Moscow on Sunday, ending more than 50 years of brutal rule by his family.
As the situation in Damascus continues to celebrate, Assad’s prime minister, Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali, on Monday agreed to hand over power to the rebel-led Salvation Government, which is a government based in rebel-held territory in northwestern Syria.
Rebel commander Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed Al-Golani, met with Jalali and Vice President Faisal Mekdad to discuss an interim government, a source familiar with the talks told Reuters. Jalali said the handover could take days to complete.
Al Jazeera television reported that the transitional administration will be led by Mohamed al-Bashir, who heads the Salvation Government.
The steamroller advance of the military alliance led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former affiliate of al-Qaeda, was a major turning point in the Middle East.
The civil war that began in 2011 killed hundreds of thousands, caused the greatest refugee crisis in modern times and left cities devastated, rural areas depopulated and economies crippled by global sanctions.
But the rebel coalition has yet to talk about plans for Syria’s future, and there is no template for such a transition in the troubled region.
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