Damascus, Dec 10 (IANS): 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, Xinhua news agency reported.

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 and other Syrian militant groups during the Syrian civil war. The SSG wielded administrative and service-related authority in areas under the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) control in northern Syria.

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

Meanwhile, Russia on Tuesday said that Bashar al-Assad's decision to "withdraw" from performing his duties as Syria's head of state is "personal."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow maintains contact with all regional countries, when asked about Russia's influence in the region and the status of its military bases in Syria.

He added that it is difficult to predict the future development of the situation in Syria.