Damascus

An opposition leader in Syria's Idlib province has been tasked with forming a new Syrian government, local media reported Monday.

Muhammad al-Bashir, born in 1983 and an electrical engineer and head of the "Syrian Salvation Government" (SSG) in Idlib under the aegis of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), will lead efforts to form a new cabinet following the rapid fall of President Bashar al-Assad's government on Sunday, online media outlet Sawt al-Asima reported.

Formed in 2017 by the HTS and other Syrian opposition groups during the Syrian civil war, the SSG wielded administrative and service-related authority in areas under the HTS control in Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.

The militant groups led by the HTS waged a major offensive from northern Syria since Nov. 27 and had since swept southwards through government-held areas, capturing the capital Damascus within 12 days.

In the meanwhile, Israel will broaden its military operations in Syria to target advanced weapons storage facilities, Israeli officials said Monday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a government official told Xinhua that Israel is concerned those weapons could fall into the hands of militant groups in Syria following the rapid fall of President Bashar al-Assad's government on Sunday.

Airstrikes are expected to continue in the coming days, the official said, Xinhua news agency reported.

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Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military has been directed to "destroy heavy strategic weapons throughout Syria, including surface-to-air missiles, air defense systems, surface-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles, long-range rockets, and coastal missiles."