UN envoy meets Syria's new rebel leader

UN Syria envoy Geir Pedersen met with Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Sharaa - better known by his rebel nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani - leads the HTS, the Islamist group that swept Assad from power. HTS is a group formerly allied with al-Qaeda that is designated a terrorist organization by many governments, and is also under United Nations sanctions.

In a statement, the Syrian ruling General Command said Sharaa discussed with Pedersen the need to reconsider a roadmap outlined by the Security Council for the country in 2015, known as UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

Pedersen said he hoped for a swift end to the sanctions to help facilitate economic recovery.

Meanwhile Hezbollah head Naim Qassem said that the Lebanese armed group had lost its supply route through Syria, in his first comments since the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad nearly a week ago by a sweeping rebel offensive.

Under Assad, Hezbollah used Syria to bring in weapons and other military equipment from Iran, through Iraq and Syria and into Lebanon. But on Dec. 6, anti-Assad fighters seized the border with Iraq and cut off that route, and two days later, Islamist rebels captured the capital Damascus.

"Yes, Hezbollah has lost the military supply route through Syria at this stage, but this loss is a detail in the resistance's work," Qassem said in a televised speech, without mentioning Assad by name.

Hezbollah and Israel exchanged fire across Lebanon's southern border for nearly a year in hostilities triggered by the Gaza war.

Also Arab, Turkish and European diplomats held a joint press conference at the conclusion of Jordan's meeting discussing recent developments in Syria, where they all agreed that the formation of a new government in Syria must be inclusive and respect minority rights.

The meetings occurred as regional and global powers scramble for influence over whatever government replaces Assad, forced to flee a week ago.