Fall of the Assad Regime in Syria

Syrian Transitional President Reveals Coup Took Five Years to Prepare, Reports Say

BEIRUT (Sputnik) - The operation to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in 11 days had been prepared from the northwestern Idlib province, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was declared Syrian transitional president in January, told a local broadcaster.
Sputnik
Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa has estimated that the operation to seize Damascus took the armed opposition five years to prepare, the Syria TV broadcaster reported on Monday.
The president also emphasized the importance of creating institutions based on law, rather than confessional division.
Meanwhile, four or five years will be required to hold a presidential election in Syria, the head of Syria's transitional government noted.

"The holding of the next presidential election in Syria will take from four to five years," Sharaa said.

Syria's armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8. Bashar al-Assad stepped down as president and left the country for Russia, where he was granted asylum. Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran the Idlib-based administration formed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other opposition groups, was named the interim prime minister. He later announced that an interim government had been formed and would remain in place until March 2025.
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