Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (left) is received by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), in Damascus on Sunday. | TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY

by LISA GOLDEN AND MAHER AL MOUNES
Dec 23, 2024

DAMASCUS – Two weeks after seizing power in a sweeping offensive, Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday said weapons in the country, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, would come under state control.

Sharaa spoke alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after earlier meeting with Lebanese Druze leaders and vowing to end "negative interference" in the neighboring country.

Ankara-backed rebels played a key role in supporting Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which headed a rebel alliance that seized Damascus on Dec. 8, toppling longtime ruler Bashar Assad.