SYRIA’S Defence Ministry has issued a 10-day ultimatum to armed groups that have not yet merged with the national security apparatus, warning they must do so or face unspecified consequences.

The move comes six months after the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad, as the new rulers seek to solidify control of the war-torn country.

Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration has struggled to consolidate power over the many armed factions.

In a statement issued late on Saturday, Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said that several “military units” had already been integrated into “a unified institutional framework,” calling it a significant achievement.

The directive does not appear to target the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led group controlling much of north-east Syria, which signed an agreement with President Sharaa earlier this year to gradually integrate into state institutions.

In December, several Sunni Arab rebel groups agreed to dissolve and integrate into the Defence Ministry.

But many armed factions continue to operate independently. How much control Mr Sharaa had over government-aligned militias that massacred over 1,000 Alawite and Christian Syrians near Latakia in March remains disputed.

Last week, US President Donald Trump met Mr Sharaa and pledged to lift longstanding US sanctions on Syria.

And the World Bank announced on Friday that Syria's $15.5 million (£11.7m) debt has been repaid by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The gesture was hailed by Damascus as a major step toward economic recovery after a 14-year conflict that killed an estimated half a million people and devastated the country’s infrastructure.

Electricity shortages continue to affect daily life, with the United Nations estimating that 90 per cent of Syrians now live in poverty.

State-supplied electricity is available for as little as two hours a day, and millions cannot afford private generators or solar panels to fill the gap.