Rebels secure power handover in Syria

The former Syrian prime minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali has agreed to hand over power to the rebel group that toppled the Assad regime.

The leader of the Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Abu Mohammad al-Jolani and prime minister of HTS-held territory in northern Syria, Mohammed al-Bashir, has met with the Assad regime’s outgoing prime minister to discuss the transfer of power.

The outgoing Assad's Prime Minister Mohammed Jalali said he had made the agreement with what he called the "Salvation Government."

The rebels said the meeting was to “coordinate the transfer of power in a manner that ensures the provision of services to our people in Syria.”

A recently captured drone video has revealed images of Sednaya Prison in Syria, a notorious facility widely condemned as a center of torture and human rights abuses under Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Videos released were said to show Syrian rebels holding weapons and chanting inside Sednaya prison, as well as freed prisoners walking outside of the prison.

The rebels said prisoners had been freed from a large jail on the outskirts of Damascus where the Syrian government detained thousands.

Families lined up in long car convoys to reunite with their loved ones, detained by Assad's regime in the past decade.

Reporters in Damascus documented efforts of the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, as they worked to uncover the hidden chambers at the prison.

Located 30 kilometers north of Damascus, the prison, notorious for the use of torture and excessive force, is believed to have multiple underground levels.

Meanwhile the Israeli army released footage showing what it said was Israeli paratroopers preparing and entering Syria.

The video was released by the Israeli military on the Telegram messaging app along with a caption saying: “Forces of the 210th Division took steps to proactive ensure the defense of Golan in light of internal events in Syria.”

Israel has carried out a number of air strikes on Syria since the rebels began their march onto Damascus.