'Syria control' rebel chief gestures to the West to "release sanctions"

Abu Muhammad al-Zolani, the head of the rebels who control the Syrian regime, has urged the West to lift sanctions.

In an interview with the BBC in the capital Damascus on the 18th local time, Alzolani argued that Syria was not a threat to its neighbors and the West and that "sanctions should be lifted because they were aimed at the previous regime."

He also called his own Hyatt Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) a victim of crimes under Bashar al-Assad and stressed that "victims and oppressors should not be treated the same."

He said the HTS is not a terrorist group and did not target civilians or civilian areas, arguing that the designation of a terrorist group should be lifted.

He also denied some concerns that he wanted to make Syria like Afghanistan, where the Islamic militant group the Taliban has taken over.

Al Zolani wore a suit instead of a military uniform and looked relaxed throughout the interview, trying to give him faith that HTS had cut off from extremism.

However, the BBC said that many Syrians do not believe his claims, predicting that the next few months will be an important time to determine Syria's fate.