BEIRUT — The leader of Syria’s influential group stated on Sunday that the nation may take up to four years to conduct elections, revealing plans to dismantle his Islamist faction that spearheaded the insurgency during an upcoming national dialogue conference.
Ahmad al-Sharaa, who heads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), shared these insights during a discussion with the Saudi television network Al-Arabiya. His comments come nearly a month after a swift insurgent movement led by HTS resulted in the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, effectively bringing an end to the civil strife that has plagued Syria since 2011.
Al-Sharaa emphasized that the process of organizing elections would require substantial time for comprehensive political dialogue among Syria’s varying factions, as well as the rewriting of a constitution that has been under the Assad family’s authoritarian governance for five decades. Additionally, he highlighted the urgent need to rebuild the war-torn country’s severely damaged infrastructure.
“The opportunity we have today is rare and may not reappear for decades,” al-Sharaa stated, previously known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani. “We aspire for the constitution to endure for a significant duration.”
Al-Sharaa will serve as Syria’s acting leader until March 1, at which point diverse factions are expected to convene for a political dialogue aimed at charting the country’s future and establishing a transitional government to unify the divided nation. During this meeting, he mentioned that HTS will cease to exist after being the preeminent rebel group dominating a strategic region in northwest Syria for several years.
In a separate incident, an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals, as reported by a war monitoring group. This strike took place amidst Israel’s ongoing assaults targeting Syrian military infrastructure, even following the ousting of Assad.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, indicated that the airstrike focused on a weapons storage facility belonging to Assad’s military near Adra, to the northeast of the capital. According to the observatory, most of the casualties were civilians, while the Israeli military did not provide comments regarding the strike.
Since the onset of the uprising-turned-civil war in 2011, Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes in Syria, although it rarely acknowledges these operations. The Israeli government claims its military actions aim to disrupt Iran-backed factions that support Assad.
Al-Sharaa expressed a desire to maintain “strategic relations” with Russia, a key ally that has played an instrumental role in sustaining Assad’s regime throughout the decade-long conflict. Russia maintains a strategic airbase within Syria’s borders.
He also revealed ongoing discussions with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) located in northeastern Syria, expressing hope for the integration of their military forces into the Syrian security framework.
The SDF, which enjoys the backing of the U.S., has been actively involved in operations targeting sleeper cells associated with the extremist Islamic State group. Meanwhile, clashes between Turkish-backed Syrian rebels and the SDF have continued, even post-insurgency, particularly in the strategic city of Manbij, as Turkey aims to establish a security buffer along its northern border with Syria.
Further developments included reports from Syrian state media indicating the discovery of a mass grave near Homs, where civil defense teams were dispatched to the site in al-Kabo, suspected to be one of many such locations containing the remains of tens of thousands of Syrians who vanished during a brutal crackdown under Assad’s regime.
In a related story, Lebanese authorities detained Egyptian activist Abdulrahman al-Qardawi upon his illegal border crossing from Syria. Al-Qardawi is wanted by Egyptian authorities for charges involving incitement and terrorism. The activist had reportedly traveled to Syria to partake in celebrations following Assad’s fall. Notably, he is the son of influential cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi, a recognized figure among the banished Muslim Brotherhood, who spent many years in exile in Qatar.
Additionally, Lebanese security forces apprehended an armed group in Tripoli responsible for the kidnapping of 26 Syrians smuggled into Lebanon. The group includes five women and seven children, and efforts are underway to ensure their return to Syria.
