Syrian rebel leader says rebel factions will be dissolved

The leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist rebel group that spearheaded the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime, said Tuesday that Syria’s rebel factions will be dissolved, with all fighters uniting under the country’s Defense Ministry.

“Syria must remain united, and there must be a social contract between the state and all sects to ensure social justice,” Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said during a meeting with the minority Druze community, according to a statement posted on HTS’s Telegram account. “The factions will be dissolved and the fighters will be prepared to join the Ministry of Defense, and everyone will be subject to the law,” Sharaa added.