The jihadi rebels who toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad say they want to build a unified, inclusive country.

Massive U.S. airstrikes on Islamic State militants in Syria are meant partly as a message to the group and a move to ensure that the insurgents don’t try to take advantage of the chaos following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad’s government.

For the first time in 50 years, the question of how Syria will be governed is wide open.

Israeli strikes have hit suspected chemical and long-range weapons sites in Syria and the foreign minister says the aim is to keep them from rebels who seized Damascus.

Syrians poured into the streets in celebration after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule.

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader who led the stunning insurgency that toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image and that of his fighters.