The new rulers in Syria want to impose state control over all weapons in the country. The leader of "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" (HTS) Ahmed al-Sharaa announced at a joint conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan that all armed groups in the country will soon disband and join the national army.
HTS will not allow "weapons outside state control in the country", including in the northeastern parts controlled by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces. Al-Sharaa also said that in the coming days they will announce the new structure of the Syrian security forces.
Al-Sharaa promises a future "far from sectarianism"
Meanwhile, Ahmed Al-Sharaa met with the leader of the Lebanese Druze, Walid Jumblatt, in Damascus. He made two promises to him - first, that the rights of minority groups in Syria would be protected. And second, that the country would not interfere in the internal affairs of Lebanon.
According to Al-Sharaa, whose organization has been declared a terrorist organization by the US, EU and UN, a new era is ahead for Syria "far from sectarianism". Since the Assad regime was toppled in early December, many Syrians, as well as representatives of the international community, have expressed concerns about the rights of the country's various minorities, including Druze, Kurds, Christians and Alevis.
"We are proud of our culture, religion and Islam. However, being part of an Islamic group does not mean excluding other groups. On the contrary, it is our duty to protect them," he said during the meeting with Jumblatt.
Sharaa also guaranteed that Syria would no longer interfere "negatively in Lebanon" and that Damascus "respects Lebanon's sovereignty, the unity of its territories and the independence of its decisions".
Iran expects uprisings in Syria
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said this weekend that he expects the rise of a new armed resistance in Syria. The Syrian youth would resist the current processes that make the country's future uncertain, Khamenei said.
Iran is considered the big loser from the fall of the Assad regime, which was its ally. Thanks to Assad, Tehran was able to easily supply the Lebanese group Hezbollah with weapons through Syria.