People greeted the leader of Syria's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham group, Abu Mohammed Al Golani (center), ahead of his speech at the iconic Umayyad Mosque in the capital on December 8, 2024. — AFP

The armed factions that have ousted Syrian President Bashar Al Assad from power must convert their 'positive messages' to Syrians into tangible actions, the UN envoy for Syria stated on Tuesday. Following over 13 years of civil war, the Syrian government's downfall occurred swiftly due to a rapid offensive by the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), led by Ahmed Al Sharaa.

'The current situation shows that both HTS and other armed groups have been conveying positive messages to the Syrian people,' said Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, during a press briefing in Geneva. 'They have been promoting messages of unity and inclusivity,' he added, noting 'reassuring developments on the ground.' However, he cautioned, 'what we must avoid is that these initial positive statements and actions are not sustained in practice in the coming days and weeks.'

Pedersen, a Norwegian diplomat who assumed the role of UN envoy for Syria in 2018, emphasized that 'the most critical test will be how the transitional arrangements in Damascus are organized and executed.' 'These arrangements, as I have repeatedly stressed, must be inclusive,' he said. His remarks followed Assad's flight from Syria as the Islamist-led opposition coalition seized control of Damascus, marking the end of his family's 50-year oppressive rule on Sunday.

Assad had overseen a brutal crackdown on the 2011 democracy movement, igniting a war that claimed 500,000 lives and displaced half the country's population, with millions seeking refuge abroad. Just days after Assad's fall, Pedersen warned, 'We are still in a highly fluid phase. Things have not stabilized. There is a genuine opportunity for change, but this opportunity must be seized by the Syrians themselves, with support from the UN and the international community.'

He described Syria as 'under the control of a patchwork of groups that are currently coordinating well, but are not fully or formally united.' 'It is crucial that we do not witness conflict between these groups,' he added. Pedersen also called for de-escalation of the ongoing conflict in northeastern Syria, particularly urging an end to 'Israeli attacks' within the war-torn nation. The Syrian Observatory reported on Tuesday that Israel had carried out 300 strikes in Syria since Assad's fall, destroying key military sites in the country.

'We continue to observe Israeli movements and bombardments into Syrian territory,' Pedersen said. 'This must cease. It is of utmost importance.'

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