New Syrian PM named as outside powers move to shore up their interests

Syria's leading rebel group has named a new prime minister at the head of the country's transitional government, as outside powers moved to shore up their interests in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse.

- Julian Borger

Israel stated its intention to create a "sterile defensive zone" inside Syria's southern border, following a bombing campaign aimed at the Syrian navy, alleged chemical weapons sites and other military assets left behind by the Assad regime.

In northern Syria, Turkish forces bombed Kurdish targets, and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army clashed with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are backed by the US.

The Turkish attacks on the SDF put into question the viability of the small US military presence in northern Syria as well as SDF-run prison camps where Islamic State (IS) fighters and their families have been held. US troops there operate in partnership with the SDF.

Charles Lister, the director of the Syria programme at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said: "The SDF has always made it clear that, if its existence was in danger, the prisons would not be the priority. US troops can only stay on the ground if their SDF partners are viable."

The Biden administration, with less than six weeks left to run, has been cautious in its response to events as a transitional government was named in Damascus.

Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, called for an "inclusive" political process in Syria, and said that US recognition would depend on the country's new government meeting those standards. "The Syrian people will decide the future of Syria," Blinken said in a statement.