The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist rebel group that led the offensive that eventually toppled his regime Bashar al-Assad at Syriareached an agreement with other rebel leaders in its coalition to disband their ranks and merge them under the Ministry of Defense, HTS said in a statement posted on Telegram on Tuesday, according to the Washington Post.

While details are scarce on what the deal entails and which rebel groups are involved, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has previously stated his goal of uniting all rebels under one national army. Saraa – the de facto leader of Syria who is also known by his nickname, Mohammed al-Golani – has spent the days since the fall of the Assad regime meeting with the leaders of various groups.

“Syria must remain united and there must be a social contract between the state and all groups to ensure social justice,” Saraa said on December 17, adding that “all shall be subject to the law”.

The rebel groups that joined HTS to defeat Assad were a complex patchwork of fighters, supported at times by foreign powers focused on fighting different enemies – sometimes each other.

Uniting the rebels under a national army was among the promises Saraa made to show his government would be inclusive of all Syrians. HTS, which remains on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations and has historical ties to Islamic State and al-Qaeda, has sought in recent years to rebrand itself as an Islamist movement with a focus on local issues rather than transnational jihad.

Saraa has met with senior officials from Middle Eastern and Western countries in recent weeks as he seeks to gain international legitimacy and as world powers mend relations with Syria after the fall of Assad.