The opposition Syrian National Coalition has elected Ahmad Jarba as its new president after a vote held in Istanbul, it announced on 6 July. Businessman Mustafa al-Sabbagh, secretary-general of the coalition who has strong links to Qatar, came in a close second.

Jarba, who represents the faction of veteran secular dissident Michel Kilo and is seen as close to Saudi Arabia, obtained 55 votes, according to AFP.

He will be closely following developments on the ground, with Homs, a strategic city located between Damascus and the Syrian coast, currently his top priority, said a statement by the coalition. Homs is currently under attack by regime troops, which are advancing in parts of the rebel-held city.

Jarba, a founding member of the coalition, has been active in political diplomacy, and providing medical and military resources since the beginning of the Syrian war in March 2011.

The Syrian coalition, which is deeply divided, was set back when its former head Moaz Khatib resigned from his post in April this year following internal disputes within the opposition, as well as political inaction. Following that Ghassan Hitto filled in as interim president.