Tuesday Briefing: Syria’s New Leader Calls for Lifting Sanctions

A photograph provided by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham showing Ahmed al-Shara, the rebel leader, in Damascus yesterday.Credit…Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

Syria’s rebel leader called for lifting sanctions

Ahmed al-Shara, the leader of the rebel coalition that swept to power in Syria last week, urged the U.S. and other nations to lift sanctions against the country, saying in an interview with journalists yesterday that his urgent priority was rebuilding.

The same day, the country’s ousted president, Bashar al-Assad, appeared to break his silence about his decision to flee to Russia. In a statement posted to social media accounts, al-Assad said he was evacuated by Russian forces as the rebels advanced on Damascus. But he insisted that he had wanted to stay and fight.

Diplomatic maneuvering over Syria’s future has intensified. The rebel leader urged the U.S. and other countries to remove their terrorism label for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, his militant group, and to suspend sanctions that had been placed on the Assad regime. We have live updates here.

More airstrikes: The U.S. said it conducted airstrikes yesterday targeting Islamic State forces in areas of central Syria, killing 12 people. Israel also carried out a heavy wave of airstrikes overnight on Syria’s coastal region.

Russia: President Vladimir Putin has yet to publicly comment on the collapse of the Assad government, his close ally. The silence underscores the uncertainty surrounding the future of Russia’s military bases in Syria.