al-Bashir confirms his appointment through state television, reports several international media outlets.
He says he has been tasked with "leading a transitional government until March 1", according to this reporting, where he is titled as Syria's new prime minister.
As early as Monday, this appointment was reported to be imminent, following a meeting between Mohammed al-Bashir, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (who has also used the pseudonym Abu Mohammed al-Julani) and the outgoing prime minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali of the former regime.
Since January this year, al-Bashir has been the equivalent of head of government for an Islamist rebel administration based in Idlib in northwestern Syria. There, a state apparatus has been built up over several years, under the supervision of the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). HTS has also sought to present a more moderate image and distance itself from links to the jihadist al-Qaeda. HTS leader al-Sharaa is believed to have been the one who in practice made all major decisions in the rebel administration in Idlib.
It is not clear from the initial reports what the transitional government is expected to achieve by March 1, or what may happen afterwards.
