He had spent the day with the leaders of Syria’s myriad armed factions, trying to persuade them to disband. Over seven weeks after the fall of Damascus, the fate of these groups is still uncertain. His aides claim that all militias will be dissolved and then absorbed into a new national army.

While some Syrians celebrated Ahmed al-Shara as head of state, others questioned how the decision to elevate the rebel leader was made.

Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, on Wednesday abolished the country’s constitution and declared himself president during a meeting of armed factions in Damascus.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was named as the country's president for the transitional period, the Syrian state news agency reported on Wednesday, citing commander Hassan Abdel Ghani. Your trusted source for the latest news delivered weekdays from the team at U.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has been named president for the "transitional period", state media report, seven weeks after he led the rebel offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Rebel military commander Hassan Abdul Ghani also announced the cancellation of Syria's 2012 constitution and the dissolution of the former regime's parliament,

Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has been named as Syria’s president for a transitional period.