Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Thursday signed a temporary constitution that will remain in effect for five years, marking what he called the beginning of “a new history” for the war-torn nation.

The development comes three months after his forces led a rapid offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, al-Sharaa expressed hope that the document would help replace “oppression with justice.” The constitution retains several key elements of the previous charter, including the requirement that the head of state must be a Muslim and that Islamic law remains the primary source of jurisprudence, according to Abdulhamid al-Awak, a member of the drafting committee.

“There were extensive debates on whether the religious affiliation of the head of state should be mandated, but ultimately, it was retained in the new framework,” Al Jazeera’s correspondent Resul Serdar reported from Damascus.

The document also enshrines freedom of expression, press liberties, and women’s social, political, and economic rights, while focusing on transitional justice to hold those responsible for crimes under the previous regime accountable. However, it consolidates executive power in the presidency, with al-Awak stressing the need for “swift governance to address ongoing challenges.”

A people’s assembly, with a third of its members appointed by the president, will handle legislative matters until elections are held, a process expected to take up to five years. Notably, the assembly has the power to remove the president, though observers note that the dominance of presidential appointees makes such an outcome unlikely.

Meanwhile, a new committee will be tasked with drafting a permanent constitution, though questions remain about whether it will be inclusive of Syria’s diverse political, religious, and ethnic groups.

SDF criticism and security challenges

The constitutional declaration has drawn criticism from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which recently struck a ceasefire agreement with al-Sharaa’s administration. The US-backed group argued that the document failed to reflect Syria’s diverse ethnic and sectarian composition, including Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, and Assyrians.

Last week, government forces faced renewed challenges from fighters loyal to Assad, particularly in regions where Alawite minorities suffered retaliatory violence following the regime’s fall. Rights groups report that hundreds of civilians, mainly from the Alawite sect, were killed during the crackdown.

Syria’s interim rulers, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), continue to struggle in consolidating authority nationwide, with critics arguing that the national dialogue conference last month failed to include key ethnic and civil society representatives.

Israeli airstrike on Damascus

Shortly after the signing of the constitutional declaration, the Israeli Air Force launched an airstrike on Damascus, targeting what it described as a “terrorist command centre” linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing two loud explosions near the Syrian capital, with local authorities stating that three civilians were injured, including a critically wounded woman.

Islamic Jihad denied the claim that the target was a command centre, with spokesperson Muhammad al-Haj Musa asserting that the strike hit an empty house. Syrian security sources, however, suggested that a Palestinian individual was the intended target.

“This is a demonstration of force from Israel, sending a clear message to the new Syrian leadership that they are being closely watched,” Serdar noted.