Syria's anti-regime coalition was taking its first steps to form a transitional government on Tuesday, with a primary focus on restoring law and order in the country.
The lightning overthrow of Bashar Assad has left Syrians, countries in the region and world powers nervous about what comes next.
The United Nations Security Council met behind closed doors late Monday and diplomats said they were still in shock at how quickly Assad's overthrow unfolded over 11 days, ending a decadeslong civil war that was locked in stalemate for years.
"Everyone was taken by surprise, everyone, including the members of the council. So we have to wait and see and watch ... and evaluate how the situation will develop," Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters after the body met.
Russia played a major role in supporting Assad's government and helping it fight the anti-Assad forces. The Syrian leader fled Damascus for Moscow on Sunday, ending more than 50 years of brutal rule by his family.
With the mood in Damascus still celebratory, Assad's prime minister, Mohammed Jalali, agreed Monday to hand power to the Salvation Government, an administration based in northwest Syria held by anti-regime forces.
The main rebel commander Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, met with Jalali and Vice President Faisal Mekdad to discuss the transitional government, a source familiar with the discussions told Reuters. Jalali said the handover could take days to carry out.
Al Jazeera television reported the transitional authority would be headed by Mohamed al-Bashir, who has headed the Salvation Government.
The steamroller advance of the alliance headed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was a generational turning point for the Middle East.
The civil war that began in 2011 killed hundreds of thousands, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble, the countryside depopulated and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.
However, the anti-regime alliance has not communicated plans for Syria's future and there is no template for such a transition in the fractious region.
"This is an incredible moment for the Syrian people," Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood said in New York.
"Now we're really focused right now on trying to see where the situation goes. Can there be a governing authority in Syria that respects the rights and dignities of the Syrian population?"
The U.S. was seeking ways to engage with Syrian anti-regime groups and is reaching out to partners in the region such as Türkiye to start informal diplomacy, Washington said.
Qatari diplomats spoke with HTS on Monday, an official briefed on the developments told Reuters, as regional states race to open contact with the group.
There were tentative signs of a return to order. Syria's banks reopened Tuesday and the oil ministry called on all employees in the sector to head to work, adding that protection would be provided to ensure their safety.
Reuters reporters saw four mini-buses arriving at the Central Bank of Syria, with employees disembarking and walking into the building for their first day of work since Assad's fall.
"It's a new shift, it's a new day, a new year, a new life," said Sumayra al-Mukli.
Golani has vowed to rebuild Syria and HTS has spent years trying to soften its image to reassure foreign nations and minority groups within Syria.
"Syrians are looking forward to establishing a state of freedom, equality, rule of law, democracy, and we will join efforts to rebuild our country, to rebuild what was destroyed, and to rebuild the future, better future of Syria," Syria's U.N. Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak told reporters.
