He had spent the day with the leaders of Syria’s myriad armed factions, trying to persuade them to disband. Over seven weeks after the fall of Damascus, the fate of these groups is still uncertain. His aides claim that all militias will be dissolved and then absorbed into a new national army.

STORY: Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was declared president for a transitional phase on Wednesday, allowing him to further tighten his hold on power two months after he led a campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad.