In Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa has been named as interim president to lead the transition. Sharaa is head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led the rebel coalition that toppled Bashar al-Assad. On Thursday, Sharaa vowed to unite Syrians.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa: “We will work on forming an inclusive transitional government that reflects Syria’s men, women and youth, and take charge to rebuild new Syria institutions.”

Sharaa says he will establish a temporary legislative council to govern Syria until a new constitution is adopted and elections can be held — a process he said could take four years. The European Union announced this week it will begin easing sanctions against Syria as the country rebuilds after nearly 14 years of war.