Syrian rebel leader pledges to release names of ousted government officials involved in war crimes

Syrian rebel commander Ahmad al-Sharaa, widely known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani, pledged Tuesday to release the names of senior officials from ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s government who were “involved in torturing the Syrian people.”

“Rewards will be offered to those who will provide information about senior army and security officers involved in war crimes,” Golani said in a statement.

The pledge came amid questions about Syria’s future governance following Assad’s departure.

A German government statement late Monday said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the end of the Assad regime, and said they are “prepared to work together with the new rulers on the basis of fundamental human rights and the protection of ethnic and religious minorities.”

Scholz and Macron emphasized the importance of maintaining Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement said.

The United Nations has expressed concerns about Israel’s deployment of troops across a demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, which Israel says is necessary to protect its own security.

Israeli troops were on the Syrian side of the zone Tuesday, about 25 kilometers southwest of Damascus, according to several security sources cited by Reuters and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Avichay Adraee said reports that Israeli forces were approaching Damascus were incorrect. He said Israeli troops were located inside the buffer zone and at defensive points close to the border.

The Britain-based Observatory, which has monitored the conflict in Syria, also said Tuesday that Israeli forces had conducted more than 300 airstrikes on Syrian territory since Assad’s ouster early Sunday.

Journalists reported more airstrikes early Tuesday in the Damascus area.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Staar said Tuesday that Israeli forces had struck suspected chemical weapons sites as well as long-range rockets as part of an effort to prevent them from ending up in the possession of hostile actors.

Saudi Arabia condemned Israel’s actions in Syria, saying in a statement Tuesday that they violate international law and “sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.”

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters Monday that U.N. peacekeepers “informed the Israeli counterparts that these actions would constitute a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement that there should be no military forces or activities in the area of separation, and Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of that 1974 agreement and preserve stability in the Golan.”

Syria’s U.N. envoy also said he had written to the United Nations to protest the Israeli move, as well as attacks on several military installations in the country.

Political transition

Syrian rebels said Golani met for the first time Monday with the outgoing prime minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali to “coordinate a transfer of power.”

Jalali told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, “We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth.”

He said most Cabinet ministers are still working from offices in Damascus.

However, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, told The Associated Press that some key government services had shut down as anxious state workers stayed home.

At the United Nations, Syria’s ambassador, who was appointed by the Assad regime, told reporters that his delegation had received instructions from the new authorities to continue doing their job during the transition.

“We are with the Syrian people. We will keep defending and working for the Syrian people. So we will continue our work till further notice,” Koussay Aldahhak said.

He said the country and people are witnessing a new era of change.

“Syrians are looking forward for establishing a state of freedom, equality, rule of law, democracy, and we will join efforts to rebuild our country, to rebuild what was destroyed, and to rebuild the future — better future of Syria for all Syrians,” he said.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council met late Monday behind closed doors at the request of Russia, which supported Assad militarily during the nearly 14-year Syrian civil war. U.N. Syria envoy Geir Pedersen and U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix both provided briefings.

“The council, I think, was more or less united on the need to preserve the territorial integrity and unity of Syria, to ensure the protection of civilians, to ensure that humanitarian aid is coming to the needy population,” Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters after the meeting.

“The situation needs to be stabilized; there has to be an inclusive political process, and also there should not be a resurgence of terrorist forces,” China’s envoy Fu Cong told reporters. “The U.N. has a big role to play in all of these.”

VOA United Nations Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press. Agence France-Presse and Reuters.