New Syria PM Mohammad Al Bashir calls for 'stability and calm'

Syria's new transitional prime minister on Tuesday said it was time for "stability and calm" in the country, two days after longtime president Bashar Al Assad was toppled by rebels in a lightning offensive.

The rebels appointed Mohammad Al Bashir as the transitional head of government to run the country until March 1, a statement said.

"Now it is time for this people to enjoy stability and calm," Bashir told Qatar's Al Jazeera television in his first interview since being appointed.

Assad fled Syria as an opposition alliance swept into the capital Damascus over the weekend, bringing to an end five decades of brutal rule. A senior official told US broadcaster NBC that the ousted Syrian leader was now in Moscow.

Abu Mohammed Al Jolani, who headed the rebel offensive, had previously announced talks on a transfer of power and vowed to pursue former senior officials responsible for torture and war crimes.

On Tuesday, he sought to allay fears over how Syria would be ruled, telling British broadcaster Sky News the country was "exhausted" by war and would not be heading back into one.

"Syria will be rebuilt ... The country is moving towards development and reconstruction. It's going towards stability," he said.

"People are exhausted from war. So the country isn't ready for another one, and it's not going to get into another one."

His group, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, is rooted in Syria's Al Qaeda branch and is proscribed by many Western governments as a terrorist organisation, though it has sought to moderate its image.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged all nations to support an "inclusive" political process in Syria, saying the US would eventually recognise a government if it meets such standards.

• Access to Syria 'crime scene' a 'game-changer': UN investigator