By Nkiruka Nnorom with Agency Report

THE rebels who ousted President Bashar al-Assad and are now in power in Syria have appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as transitional head of government to run the country until March 1. al-Bashir was also instrumental in bringing down al-Assad’s regime.

“The general command has tasked us with running the transitional government until March 1,” said a statement credited to al-Bashir on state television’s Telegram account, referring to him as “the new Syrian prime minister”.

Assad fled Syria as an Islamist-led rebel alliance swept into the capital Damascus on Sunday, ending five decades of brutal rule by his clan.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the Islamist leader who headed the offensive that forced Assad out, had announced talks on a transfer of power and vowed to pursue former senior officials responsible for torture and war crimes.

His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, is rooted in Syria’s Al-Qaeda branch and is proscribed by many Western governments as a terrorist organisation, though it has sought to moderate its rhetoric. Middle East nations condemn Israel’s reported operations inside Syria buffer zone

Meanwhile, Turkey has joined some Middle Eastern nations, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt in accusing Israel of exploiting the downfall of Assad to launch attacks into a buffer zone in Syria.

This accusation comes after the Israeli military acknowledged its troops are operating in Syrian territories beyond the demilitarised buffer zones between Syria and the Isreali occupied Golan Heights.

Israeli military claimed it destroyed Syria’s military fleet and said it would set up ‘sterile defensive.
Rebel leaders declare senior officials in Assad’s regime wanted for war crime
Earlier, the main Islamist rebel leader in Syria said senior officials of the Assad regime who were involved in torturing political prisoners would be named and are wanted for their involvement in war crimes.

It comes after rebel fighters said that 40 bodies discovered in a hospital morgue showed signs of torture.