The de factor leader of Syria and head of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said that post-Assad Syria will be inclusive of all people and sects within the country, adding that it will not be governed like Afghanistan under the Taliban.
In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, he said "the Syrian population has lived together for thousands of years, we are going to discuss all of it, we are going to have dialogue and make sure everyone is represented."
"The old regime always played with sectarian divisions, but we won't… I think the revolution can contain everybody," he added.
Al-Sharaa, who was previously known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani also denied that Syria would be governed like Afghanistan under the Taliban, highlighting differences between the two societies, and adding that under HTS rule in Idlib, women have been able to pursue higher education.
When pressed on the issue of alcohol consumption, Al-Sharaa said that the decision was not his to make, but rather a constitutional matter.
New constitution
Syria’s transitional government suspended the 2012 constitution earlier this month, with a constitutional committee now set to be formed in order to craft a new one.
The Druze spiritual leader in Syria's southern province of Suweida, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, called for the convening of a national conference to draft a new constitution on Wednesday.
Local news outlet Suwayda24 quoted him as saying that the new constitution "should adopt an administrative decentralised system and ensure the separation of powers to safeguard the institutions of governance, precent the division of the country, and avoid steering affairs toward the interests of a specific party of group."
"We are not ready to fall under the control of any sectarian, partisan, religious, or special regional authority," he added.
Likewise, the previously exiled Syrian National Coalition (SNC), an opposition body based in Turkey which had its own "Syrian Interim Government", separate to the authorities now controlling Syria, announced it would return to the country.
Hadi al-Bahra, head of the SNC, said that the organisation was in contact with the transitional government in Damascus and that an inclusive government would be formed at the end of the transitional period in March 2025.
As well as the SNC, the Madaniya Network, a group that supports Syrian civil society, also announced it is returning to Syria and its intention to host a press conference at its new office in Damascus on Saturday.
"At this event, we will share our aspirations regarding Syria's political transition at this stage."
In north-east Syria the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North East Syria (AANES) announced that it had abolished customs duties and other trade-related taxes between its territory and the rest of Syria, following the fall of the Assad regime.
In Damascus, the transitional government is continuing to work on resuming services as normal amid administrative difficulties and economic pressures.
Within the city there has been a rise in the prices for fuel, food, and transport, as well as inadequate electricity and internet access, according to °®Âþµº's affiliate Syria TV.
Syria TV also reported that ATMs in the city are working again, however many parents and students in the city are cautious about returning to school because of the security situation.