Syria’s former governing party, the Baath, is no more. The party had ruled the country for decades until it was overthrown, along with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on December 8 after opposition factions marched into Damascus. Wednesday’s announcement that the party would be dissolved merely formalised that process.

The new leadership of the country said the rebel coalition leader, Ahmed al-Shara, would serve as president during a transitional period.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was declared president for a transitional phase on Wednesday, tightening his hold on power less than two months after he led a campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad.

Former rebels now controlling Syria name an interim president and throw out the constitution adopted under Assad, saying a new one will be drafted soon.

He had spent the day with the leaders of Syria’s myriad armed factions, trying to persuade them to disband. Over seven weeks after the fall of Damascus, the fate of these groups is still uncertain. His aides claim that all militias will be dissolved and then absorbed into a new national army.

Syria’s Civil Defense has uncovered over two dozen charred bodies in two basements in rural Damascus, adding to the growing tally of mass graves discovered since the ousting of Bashar Assad.

The rebel chief who led the overthrow of the longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad has been declared the head of government for a transitional period.

The former insurgents on Wednesday also threw out Syria’s constitution, adopted under Assad, saying a new charter would be drafted soon.

Militants in the Gaza Strip released eight hostages on Thursday, handing them over to the Red Cross amid chaotic crowds as part of a swap that is set to see 110 Palestinians released from Israeli

Qatar's emir Tamim bin Hamad arrived in Damascus on the first visit by a national leader since Assad was overthrown last December