Elections could take up to 4 years, says Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa

BEIRUT: Syria's new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa on Sunday stated that elections could take up to four years. He leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group now in charge after the recent overthrow of President Bashar Assad. Al-Sharaa plans to dissolve HTS at an upcoming national dialogue summit.

He explained the election timeline in an interview with Al-Arabiyya. He cited the need for political dialogue, constitutional revisions, and infrastructure reconstruction. "The chance we have today doesn't come every 5 or 10 years," al-Sharaa said. "We want the constitution to last for the longest time possible."

A national dialogue is scheduled for March 1 to decide Syria's future and form a transitional government. Al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, will lead until then.

Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike near Damascus on Sunday killed 11 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory reported the strike targeted a weapons depot formerly belonging to Assad's forces. The Israeli military did not comment.

Al-Sharaa expressed a desire to maintain relations with Russia, while negotiations continue with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria. He hopes to integrate SDF forces with Syrian security agencies. Clashes continue between Turkish-backed rebels and the SDF.

Elsewhere in Syria, state media reported the discovery of a mass grave near Homs. Lebanese authorities detained Egyptian activist Abdulrahman al-Qardawi after he crossed from Syria. Lebanese forces also apprehended an armed group who kidnapped 26 Syrians smuggled into Lebanon.