Hadi al-Bahra, head of the Syrian National Coalition that grouped opponents of Bashar al-Assad during the civil war, said on Wednesday Syria's transitional government should be credible and not exclude any Syrian party or be based on sectarianism.
Hadi Al Bahra, president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, Reuters/Umit Bektas
Hadi al-Bahra, head of the Syrian National Coalition that grouped opponents of Bashar al-Assad during the civil war, said on Wednesday Syria's transitional government should be credible and not exclude any Syrian party or be based on sectarianism.
In a seismic moment for the Middle East, Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war, ending his family's decades-long rule.
The lightning offensive raised questions over whether the rebels will be able to ensure an orderly transition.
Representatives of the Syrian National Coalition had not met Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, but had communications with the caretaker government and parties close to him, al-Bahra said during a press conference in Istanbul.
Forces under the command of al-Sharaa - better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani - replaced the Assad family rule with a three-month transitional government that had been ruling a rebel enclave in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.
Al-Sharaa is the leader of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is designated a terrorist group by Western and regional powers.
Newly appointed Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir formerly led an HTS-affiliated government in Idlib.
The Syrian National Coalition would return to Syria and set up headquarters there, former Syrian opposition leader al-Bahra said, adding that he intended to return as well.
"Logistics should be worked out and freedom of speech should be guaranteed," he added.
Reporting by Clauda Tanios and Nayera Abdallah
The U.S. military said on Saturday two of its personnel were killed in Jordan and another was missing after an Iranian attack, while Iran's supreme leader said Washington would pay for "seeking to incite war" after a seventh straight night of U.S. strikes.
A Lebanese soldier was killed and an officer and another soldier were wounded when a suspicious object exploded in an army vehicle in the southern Lebanese town of Mansouri, the Lebanese army said on Saturday.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written statement on Saturday that repeated U.S. breaches of a memorandum of understanding signed by the presidents of Iran and the United States had shown that President Donald Trump's signature was "utterly worthless and devoid of credibility."
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