Syrian power shift: Rebel leader paves way for new government as Assad reportedly flees Damascus

The Syrian rebel coalition says it is continuing work to complete the transfer of power in Syria to a transitional governing body with full executive powers.

“The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build a Syria together that befits the sacrifices of its people,” it adds in a statement, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media sources.

Rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani said Syrian state institutions will be supervised by former Prime Minister Mohammed Jalali until they are handed over, signalling efforts to secure an orderly transition after rebels declared an end to Bashar al-Assad's rule.

Signed in his real name - Ahmed al-Sharaa - Golani's statement banned military forces in Damascus from approaching public bodies and prohibited the firing of guns in the air.

In an interview with Al Arabiya, Jalali - appointed prime minister by Assad in September - said he had been in contact with Sharaa to discuss managing the current transitional period, and said Syria should hold free elections.

Jalali said he remained in his home and was ready to support continuity of governance.

Syrian telecommunications minister Eyad al-Khatib, in an interview with Al Arabiya, said he had been contacted by a representative of Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham responsible for telecoms services. They agreed that telecoms and internet would continue to function, Khatib said.

On the morning of December 8, Syrian rebels fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad said they had taken control of Damascus and toppled the current regime.

The dramatic collapse also marks a dramatic moment for the Middle East, undermining Russia and Iran, which have lost a key ally at the heart of the region and creating more uncertainty as the Gaza war rages.

The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, is believed to have fled the country his family has ruled over for 50 years as rebels said they had captured the capital after a lightning advance completed in just under two weeks.

Two senior Syrian officers told Reuters that Assad had fled Damascus, his destination unknown. The report could not be independently verified.

The senior Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash declined to say whether Assad was fleeing to the United Arab Emirates.

“When people ask where is Bashar al-Assad going to, I say, you know, when you really look at this, this is really at the end of the day a footnote in history,” he told reporters at a conference in Bahrain.

The Syrian leader had been publicly absent as Islamist militant insurgents spearheaded a sweeping offensive that began in a small enclave in north-western Syria, and within 11 days appeared to have toppled Assad’s rule.

People celebrate at Umayyad Square in Damascus after Islamist-led rebels declared that they had taken the Syrian capital.

In their first announcement on state television following the offensive that took the world by surprise, rebels said they had ended Assad’s 24-year authoritarian rule.

By Khagan Isayev