DAMASCUS -- Mohammed al-Bashir announced Tuesday that he has been tasked with heading a transitional government in Syria until early March 2025 following the collapse of the government of Bashar al-Assad.

In a brief televised statement, al-Bashir said he would lead the transitional authority until March 1.

Al-Bashir, born in 1983, was an electrical engineer and head of the "Syrian Salvation Government (SSG)" in Idlib formed in 2017 by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other Syrian militant groups during the Syrian civil war. The SSG wielded administrative and service-related authority in areas under the HTS control in northern Syria.

A militant alliance 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.