DAMASCUS: Tightening his hold on power less than two months after he led a campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad, Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has been declared president for

Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Damascus on Thursday for a historic visit, marking the first time a head of state has traveled to Syria since the fall of the Assad regime. During his trip, Sheikh Tamim held bilateral talks with Syria’s newly inaugurated interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, at the Presidential Palace in Damascus.

The new leadership of the country said the rebel coalition leader, Ahmed al-Shara, would serve as president during a transitional period.

The commander appointed Mr Sharaa interim president, dissolved Mr Assad’s Baath Party, and announced the formation of a legislative council that will govern Syria until a new constitution can be agreed.

The Media Line's intrepid correspondents are in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan providing first-person reporting. After 54 years of Assad family rule, Syria enters a new era with Ahmed al-Sharaa as transitional president.

The rebel chief who led the overthrow of the longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad has been declared the head of government for a transitional period.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has been named president for the "transitional period", state media report, seven weeks after he led the rebel offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Rebel military commander Hassan Abdul Ghani also announced the cancellation of Syria's 2012 constitution and the dissolution of the former regime's parliament,

Sharaa was already de facto head of Syria's government ever since a coalition of rebel fighters swept through most of Syria and ousted Assad's regime.