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The leader of the Hayat Tahir al-Sham (HTS) group, Ahmed al-SharaaÌýhas vowed to pursue senior figures involved in torturing Syrian dissidents over the years under the Bashar al-Assad regime, saying a list will be "published soon".

In a statement published on Telegram on Tuesday, al-Sharaa pledged to "offer rewards to anyone who provides information about senior army and security officers involved in war crimes".

The leading opposition rebel, formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said: "We will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, and security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people. We will pursue the war criminals and demand them to return from the countries to which they fled, so that they may receive their just punishment."

"We will offer rewards to anyone who provides information about senior army and security officers involved in war crimes."

Opposition rebels, headed by HTS, took over large swathes of Syria in a lightning offensive on November 27. The rebels seized the key cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs, before ascending onto Damascus, which led to Assad’s ousting.

Late on Monday, the Syrian Civil Defence known as the White Helmets said that they had concluded their search operations for any remaining inmates at the notorious Saydnaya Prison, saying that their search did "not uncover any unopened or hidden areas within the facility," in a statement on X.

"Specialised teams from the White Helmets conducted a thorough search of all sections, facilities, basements, courtyards and surrounding areas of the prison. These operations were carried out with the assistance of individuals familiar with the prison and its layout. However, no evidence of undiscovered secret cells or basements were found."

The statement deals a devastating blow to families who were eager to reunite with detained relatives. "We stand in solidarity with the victims’ families, fully understanding their anguish and their longing for answers about their loved ones," the Syrian Civil Defence said.

On Monday, rebel fighters uncovered around 40 bodies at the Harasta hospital which serves Saydnaya prison for collecting bodies of detainees. The bodies were found wrapped in blood-stained shrouds in the hospital’s morgue and had visible signs of torture and abuse.

Among the victims was Mazen al-Hamada, a prominent activist who sought to shed light on the Assad regime’s brutality in prison. Hamada forcibly disappeared over four years ago and was subject to varying forms of torture.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, says almost 60,000 people were tortured and killed in the Assad regime's prisons.

Agencies contributed to this report.