Syria's new leader is saying that he will dissolve the many rebel factions there and absorb them into the new ministry of defense. That new leader is Ahmed al-Sharaa. And if he can achieve unity, he'll do something that Syria's former dictator, Bashar al-Assad, never could.

NPR's Leila Fadel, Jane Arraf, and Ruth Sherlock share their reporting from Syria more than a week after the fall of the Assad regime.

Edition host Leila Fadel reports from Damascus, in the first week in a half-century that the Assad family did not rule the country.

Our colleague, Leila Fadel, is in Syria learning some of the secrets of a government that has now fallen. Her latest revelation is painful enough that some people may find it hard to listen to ...

And, Leila, I spoke with a senior U.S. military ... that they will be equally safe in this new Syria. FADEL: And not to mention all of the outside influences, right? Turkey's influence.

Hey, Leila. LEILA FADEL, BYLINE ... DETROW: Have you met and talked to anyone from HTS during your time in Syria? FADEL: Yeah, I mean, I've talked to a lot of the rebel fighters.

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Stephen Rapp, a former U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, on his trip to Syria to help preserve evidence from mass graves.

When Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country, members of his own minority sect say he left them impoverished and stained with his legacy.

A possible ceasefire in the 14-month long war between Israel and Hamas is gaining momentum. There are signs that the two sides are closer to making a deal, but many sticking points remain.

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Brendan Smialowski/Reuters A woman stands on a street in a Kurdish town near Syria’s border with Turkey as smoke billows from tires burned to decrease visibility for Turkish warplanes.