The top commander of Syrian fighters who ousted decades-long president Bashar al-Assad said anyone involved in torturing and killing people Assad captured during his rule would be caught and that a pardon was not an option.
"We will chase them around Syria and ask the countries to hand over those who escaped, so that we can carry out justice," Abu Mohammed al-Golani said in a statement published on the Telegram channel of Syrian state television.
Golani's announcement that he would take revenge on Assad's lieutenants for torture and death came as the world watched to see if Syria's new rulers could stabilize the country after a 14-year civil war left it in shambles.
Mohamed al-Bashir, the man appointed by Golani's fighters to lead an interim administration until March 1, pleaded with millions of refugees to return home. But there are few financial resources for reconstruction.
"There are only Syrian pounds in the cash register, which are worth little or nothing. One US dollar is bought with 35.000 of our coins," Bashir told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. "We don't have foreign currency, and as far as loans and bonds are concerned, we're still collecting data. So, financially, we are very bad," he added.
He also points out that the alliance led by Islamists will guarantee the rights of all religious groups.
More than 500.000 people were killed in the war, and more than half of the population was forced to flee their homes. About six million Syrians sought refuge abroad.
Foreign officials are wary of reaching out to the former rebels, who are considered a terrorist organization by the US, the UN, the EU and others.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the new government must "meet clear commitments - to fully respect the rights of minorities, to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid to all those in need, to prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorism or from posing a threat to its neighbours". .
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there was "a duty to support the various Syrian leaders to act as one and enable a smooth transition".
However, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced that the security situation in Syria is still unstable. The agency said it had found more than 50 minefields in the past 10 days, restricting the movement of civilians and hampering the delivery of goods and services.
Meanwhile, Russia, which has supported Assad's fight against the rebels and now granted him asylum, said it was closely monitoring the situation in Syria and was in contact with "those who currently control the situation".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized Russia's need to ensure the security of its diplomatic facilities and military bases in Syria, where Russian troops have been stationed for years and supported the Syrian army in the civil war.
Assad's fall also dealt a blow to Iran's interests in the region, cutting off a land route for the delivery of weapons to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, as well as territory in which Iranian militias could operate.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected the idea of a weakened Iranian network in the region, which includes its support for Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, militias in Iraq and Houthi militants in Yemen.
Khamenei also said that what happened in Syria was the result of a US-Israeli plan and that a "neighboring country" played a role in Assad's ouster. He did not name which neighboring country, but Turkey, which borders Syria, has been a major supporter of groups opposed to Assad.
As Syrians work to build their country's future, Pope Francis said Wednesday he hopes for a political solution that promotes "the stability and unity of the country."
"I pray... that the Syrian people can live in peace and security in their beloved country and that different religions walk together in friendship and mutual respect for the good of that nation affected by so many years of war," the pope said.
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