Syrian HTS leader says rebel factions will be 'disbanded'

DAMASCUS: The rebel factions in Syria will be "disbanded," the head of the group that led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad has pledged, as the former president denounced the country's new rulers as "terrorists".

Assad fled Syria on December 8, as rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured the capital Damascus, ending decades of brutal dictatorship and years of civil war.

HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to reassure minorities at home and governments abroad that the country's interim leaders will protect all Syrians, as well as state institutions.

Meeting Monday with members of the Druze community, he said all rebel factions would "be disbanded and the fighters trained to join the ranks of the defence ministry."

"All will be subject to the law," he added, according to posts on the group's Telegram channel.

He also emphasised the need for unity in the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country.

"Syria must remain united," he said. "There must be a social contract between the state and all religions to guarantee social justice".

The comments came shortly after Assad broke his silence for the first time since fleeing Syria to Russia, claiming he had been evacuated from a military base at Moscow's request.

Russia, along with Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah, helped prop up Assad's rule.

"My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed," said a statement from Assad on the ousted presidency's Telegram channel.

"Moscow requested that the base's command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia," he added.

"When the state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, any position becomes void of purpose."

However, five former officials have told AFP that Assad departed Syria hours before rebel forces seized Damascus.