Syria's rebel leader vows to disband, integrate armed opposition groups

New govt seeks to project stability as regional powers vie for control, influence

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BEIRUT - The leader of the rebel coalition that took power in Syria in December said all armed opposition groups in the country would be dissolved, Syrian state media reported on Dec 17, as the new government worked to build a functioning state.

Mr Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of the coalition, said the rebel fighters would be brought under the authority of the Defence Ministry.

It was not clear how or when this would be achieved, or whether the competing armed factions would agree.

But Mr Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, said "everyone will be subject to the law", according to Syria's state news agency Sana.

His comments came more than a week after the fall of ousted president Bashar al-Assad's regime, as the new authorities in the Syrian capital Damascus sought to project stability after 13 years of civil war, while aiming to shore up international recognition through a series of meetings with diplomats from Europe, the United Nations and the Middle East.

As regional powers continued to jockey for control and influence in Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a trip on Dec 17 to territory in south-western Syria that his country's military had seized after rebels toppled the Assad regime.

Israeli forces have pushed beyond Israeli-controlled areas in the Golan Heights and a buffer zone along the border for the first time in decades, capturing an area that includes the summit of Mount Hermon.

Mr Netanyahu said Israeli forces would remain on the mountain "until another arrangement is found that guarantees Israel's security".

He was accompanied by Defence Minister Israel Katz and other officials.