Eight Things you Need to Know About Syria’s New Government

Nearly three months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), now Syria’s interim president, announced the formation of the country’s first transitional government. In the lead-up to the cabinet announcement, he appointed Sheikh Osama al-Rifai as Syria’s Grand Mufti—symbolically restoring the post to the Damascus religious establishment, which the Assad regime had abolished. Al-Rifai is known for being a moderate religious figure and has also openly criticised HTS. Al-Sharaa also established the Supreme Iftaa Council, comprising clerics from Damascus, including some who had previously served under the former government. In a…