The UN would consider taking the Syrian rebel group that toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad off its designated terrorist list if it passes the key test of forming a truly inclusive transitional government, according to a senior official at the world body.

Geir Pedersen, UN special envoy for Syria, held out the prospect of removing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from the organisation’s list of proscribed terrorist groups. But he said the group could not seek to govern Syria in the way that it had governed Idlib, the northern province where it was based and from where it led the military breakout that resulted in the sudden collapse of the Assad regime.

At a briefing in Geneva, Pedersen also said Syria remained at a crossroads and that the situation was extremely fluid.

He urged Israel to cease its land and aerial attacks inside Syria immediately, saying the development was very troubling. “The bombardment needs to stop,” he said. He added that Israel’s actions around the Golan Heights represented a violation of the disengagement agreement signed with the UN in 1974.

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