Syrian rebel groups to disband and be integrated under Defense Ministry Magic Post

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has reached an agreement with various rebel factions to unite under the Ministry of Defense, according to Syria’s new general administration.

In a statement released Tuesday, the administration confirmed that al-Sharaa and the leaders of the rebel groups had agreed to disband their factions and integrate them under the supervision of the Defense Ministry.

However, the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) based in northeastern Syria are not part of this new arrangement.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir announced last week that the Syrian Defense Ministry would be restructured, integrating former rebel factions and officers who defected from Bashar al-Assad’s army.

Now Sharaa will face the difficult task of trying to avoid clashes between the countless groups.

This decision follows a large offensive two weeks ago which allowed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to take control of Damascus. In the process, Syria’s new leaders named Murhaf Abu Qasra, a prominent figure in the rebellion, as interim defense minister.

Al-Sharaa previously pledged to place all weapons under state control, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, reassuring Western officials visiting Damascus that HTS, once affiliated to al-Qaeda, would not seek revenge on the old regime nor repress any religious minority.

Its main objective, he stressed, is reconstruction and economic development, without any interest in triggering new conflicts.

Syrian opposition fighters captured Damascus on December 8, forcing al-Assad to flee and ending his family’s decades-long rule. Al-Sharaa forces have since installed an interim government for three months.

Along the same lines, Qatar called for the rapid lifting of sanctions against Syria. This came after a high-level Qatari delegation visited Damascus, marking a significant shift in relations between the two nations.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari stressed the need to lift the sanctions, saying that the crimes committed by the former regime, which led to these sanctions, are no longer relevant.

Qatar’s embassy in Damascus reopened on Sunday, ending a 13-year diplomatic rift.