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Syria’s New Rulers Name Abu Qasra as Defense Minister

Head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa sits next to Murhaf Abu Qasra, who according to an official source has been appointed as Defense Minister in Syria's interim government, in Damascus, Syria in this handout image released on December 21, 2024. (Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham/Handout via Reuters)
Head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa sits next to Murhaf Abu Qasra, who according to an official source has been appointed as Defense Minister in Syria's interim government, in Damascus, Syria in this handout image released on December 21, 2024. (Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria’s New Rulers Name Abu Qasra as Defense Minister

Head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa sits next to Murhaf Abu Qasra, who according to an official source has been appointed as Defense Minister in Syria's interim government, in Damascus, Syria in this handout image released on December 21, 2024. (Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham/Handout via Reuters)
Head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa sits next to Murhaf Abu Qasra, who according to an official source has been appointed as Defense Minister in Syria's interim government, in Damascus, Syria in this handout image released on December 21, 2024. (Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the opposition which toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.

Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which led the campaign that ousted Assad this month. He led numerous military operations during Syria's revolution, the source said according to Reuters.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed "the form of the military institution in the new Syria" during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported.

Abu Qasra during the meeting sat next to Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, photos published by SANA showed.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former opposition factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.

Bashir, who formerly led an HTS-affiliated administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not declared plans for what will happen after that.

Earlier on Saturday, the ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step "comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability".

Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of the opposition’s Idlib government, the General Command said.

Sharaa's group was part of al-Qaeda until he broke ties in 2016. It had been confined to Idlib for years until going on the offensive in late November, sweeping through the cities of western Syria and into Damascus as the army melted away.

Sharaa has met with a number of international envoys this week. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.

Syrian opposition fighters seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family's decades-long rule.

Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al-Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad's rule in Syria. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.

The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.

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Arab World

Israeli Fire Kills Three People in Gaza, Tension Rises

Palestinians attend an anti-war protest and against Hamas in a rare show of public anger against the group that rules the territory, in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians attend an anti-war protest and against Hamas in a rare show of public anger against the group that rules the territory, in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP)
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Israeli Fire Kills Three People in Gaza, Tension Rises

Palestinians attend an anti-war protest and against Hamas in a rare show of public anger against the group that rules the territory, in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians attend an anti-war protest and against Hamas in a rare show of public anger against the group that rules the territory, in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP)

Israeli fire killed at least three Palestinians in two separate incidents across ​the enclave, local health authorities said, as tension rises over continued violence.

Medics said one Palestinian was killed in the Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, in an area under ‌Palestinian control, while ‌two others ‌were ⁠killed ​in ‌the town of Bani Suhaila east of Khan Younis, an area Israel still occupies, Reuters reported.

There was no comment from the Israeli military on the two incidents.

Fighting ⁠has largely abated since Israel and ‌Palestinian militant group Hamas ‍agreed to ‍a ceasefire in October, two ‍years into the war, but it has not stopped entirely. Israel and Hamas have traded blame over ​the violations of the deal.

A Hamas official told Reuters ⁠on Sunday that the group urged mediators to intervene to stop "daily Israeli killings that aim to derail the ceasefire deal."

More than 440 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to Gaza health officials, have been killed since the truce, ‌as well as three Israeli soldiers.

Arab World

Iraq’s Sadr Accepts Defectors’ Return, Signals Force to Rivals

Sadrist movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr (Sadrist media)
Sadrist movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr (Sadrist media)
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Iraq’s Sadr Accepts Defectors’ Return, Signals Force to Rivals

Sadrist movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr (Sadrist media)
Sadrist movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr (Sadrist media)

Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Shiite National Current, has offered what amounts to an amnesty to a group of former followers who had broken away from his movement and joined armed factions, most of which have strained relations with him.

The majority of leaders and fighters in the Shiite armed factions trace their origins to the religious authority of the late Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, the father of Moqtada al-Sadr.

Among them is Qais al-Khazali, secretary general of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, who had been one of al-Sadr’s aides before defecting in mid-June 2006, as did other faction leaders. Local and regional interventions, particularly by Iran, played a significant role in those defections, as part of broader efforts to weaken al-Sadr and his movement.

Al-Sadr’s remarks came in response to a question submitted by a “group from Baghdad” of his former followers, who asked him to reopen the door for their return to his movement.

“I am aware of your suffering, and I know your needs,” al-Sadr said. “I am absolutely certain that your affiliation with them is merely physical.”

“I know that your hearts are with us, and your minds are with us. You love the homeland as we love it, and you reject subservience as we reject it,” he added.

“Just as your hearts are with us, my heart is with you. I have not forgotten you in my prayers for success, guidance, and righteousness.”

“You are welcome whenever you wish. Whoever does not wish to return may remain among them, but not be one of them; that is my assumption of you.”

“Yes, my assumption is that you are still faithful to the covenant, the covenant of our father al-Sadr. You are welcome at any time and in any place. The door of the al-Sadr family is always open, as you have always known.”

The open invitation to the “repentant” came just days after the assassination of Hussein al-Alaq, a senior figure in the Sadrist movement and the Peace Brigades, in the southern city of Amarah.

Asaib Ahl al-Haq was accused of involvement in the killing, an allegation denied last week by its secretary general, Qais al-Khazali.

Southern provinces have witnessed rising tensions in recent days between the Sadrist movement and armed factions, particularly following the assassination.

The killing prompted al-Sadr to lift a decision freezing the activities of the Peace Brigades, the armed wing of his movement, in the southern provinces of Basra and Wasit.

On Friday, al-Sadr called for a unified Friday prayer in Amarah, attended by thousands of his supporters, in what appeared to be a direct response to the assassination. Maysan province, whose capital is Amarah, is considered one of the Sadrist movement’s main strongholds in southern Iraq.

The movement dominated the province’s local government for more than 15 years before al-Sadr decided to withdraw his bloc from parliament and refuse participation in the federal government and local administrations.

That move allowed forces from the Coordination Framework, led by Asaib Ahl al-Haq, to expand their influence in the province.

A senior Sadrist figure told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Sadr’s recent moves “send clear warning messages to his rivals among the armed factions, some of which al-Sadr labels ‘insolent militias.’”

He said lifting the freeze on the Peace Brigades and holding the prayer were also intended as a show of force toward factions “that do not hesitate to commit crimes against Sadrist followers.”

While the Sadrist official played down the likelihood of armed clashes at this stage, he did not rule out the possibility in the future “if those groups continue targeting Sadrist leaders.”

He said the aggressive conduct of some factions cannot be separated from the fears surrounding them, particularly those linked to concerns over Iran’s regional role.

“They are seeking to undermine the strength of the Sadrist movement to prevent it from later filling any vacuum that regional developments may create,” he said.

Arab World

Bahbah Says ‘Board of Peace’ to be Announced Tuesday, ‘Gaza Committee’ to Follow

Bishara Bahbah stands between US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance (Bahbah’s X account)
Bishara Bahbah stands between US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance (Bahbah’s X account)
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Bahbah Says ‘Board of Peace’ to be Announced Tuesday, ‘Gaza Committee’ to Follow

Bishara Bahbah stands between US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance (Bahbah’s X account)
Bishara Bahbah stands between US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance (Bahbah’s X account)

The head of Arab Americans for Peace and a mediator on Gaza, Bishara Bahbah, said on Saturday that information he has received indicates US President Donald Trump will announce a “Board of Peace” overseeing a transitional administration for the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Jan. 13, followed a day or two later by the formation of a Palestinian technocratic committee during meetings in Cairo.

Bahbah, an American of Palestinian origin, told Asharq Al-Awsat that several countries from the Arab world will participate in the Board of Peace, including Qatar, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

He said the names of the technocratic committee faced Israeli objections, but a consensus was reached during visits by the nominee for director of the Board of Peace in Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, to Israel and Ramallah on Thursday and Friday.

He added that he spoke on Thursday with Hamas leaders, who told him there are still no negotiations over the “disarmament” clause included in the ceasefire agreement that entered into force on Oct. 10, an issue on which Washington and Israel insist.

A Palestinian source had earlier told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo would host a Hamas delegation this week to advance the Gaza agreement.

Asked whether the announcement of the Board of Peace and the Gaza administration committee is imminent, Bahbah said the announcement will take place this week and that Cairo will host meetings of Palestinian factions to agree on the administration of Gaza.

He said it is expected that the Board of Peace will be announced on Jan. 13, followed a day or two later by a meeting of Palestinian factions in Cairo, during which the names of the technocratic committee to manage Gaza’s affairs will be announced.

Regarding whether the US president will make the announcement, Bahbah stated that the information he has received indicates that Trump will announce the names of the Board of Peace members on Jan. 13, adding that he is not aware of the exact reason for choosing that date.

Regarding the most prominent names on the Gaza administration committee, Bahbah stated that the names are not yet precisely known, but the candidates are individuals from Gaza, whether currently residing there or of Gazan origin.

Regarding the countries forming the Board of Peace, Bahbah said they include the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.

He added that there is discussion about possibly adding the head of the International Monetary Fund, the president of the World Bank, and another figure who heads an international institution to the board, noting that representation would be at the level of heads of state or heads of government, such as Britain’s Keir Starmer and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni.

Bahbah said the Board of Peace is expected to convene on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos in the third week of this month.

On the future of Hamas and whether it would exit the scene, Bahbah said the central issue lies in Israel and the United States demanding Hamas’ disarmament, adding that there is currently no mechanism or negotiations on the matter.

He said he contacted Hamas leaders on Thursday, who confirmed that no dialogue or negotiations have taken place with them by any party regarding disarmament, while the US side told him it is working on the issue.

He said the step is likely to be postponed or implemented gradually, as it would not happen overnight, especially since the movement would not accept disarmament without clear guarantees.

He said previous guarantees provided in the first phase failed, with about 1,100 ceasefire violations recorded, more than 400 people killed, and over 1,000 injured over the past three months, questioning how Hamas could agree to hand over its weapons without guarantees preventing Israeli violations of the agreement and attacks.

On Israel’s acceptance of the proposed steps, Bahbah said there is consensus on the Board of Peace and the technocratic committee, noting that the names were sent to the Israeli side, which approved some and rejected others.

He said the final list of the committee is expected to be prepared this week with the approval of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the United States, adding that the names and mechanisms have changed, and an agreement has been reached with Israel.

Bahbah also said that Mladenov, the candidate chosen for director of the Board of Peace in Gaza, discussed the formation of the committee during a meeting on Friday with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

He said the Palestinian Authority insists that no committee will be allowed to be formed except at its invitation, as it considers itself the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.