Syrians flock to celebrate new day after Assad’s fall

Syrians flooded the main square of Damascus on Monday, December 9, celebrating what many see as a historic turning point following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. 

Assad fled to Russia on Sunday, December 8, after a swift offensive led by Islamist rebels toppled his regime, marking the end of his family’s five-decade grip on Syria’s leadership.

At Umayyad Square, jubilant residents gathered alongside rebel fighters, who had imposed a nighttime curfew across the capital. People waved flags, honked car horns, and cheered while some rebels fired celebratory shots into the air.

“It’s indescribable, we never thought this nightmare would end. We are reborn,” said Rim Ramadan, a 49-year-old civil servant at the finance ministry. “We were afraid for 55 years of speaking, even at home. We used to say the walls had ears. We feel like we’re living a dream.”

Elsewhere in the city, some neighborhoods remained eerily quiet, with residents cautious amid the sudden power shift.

The fall of Assad’s regime comes after a 14-year civil war that began with a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The conflict claimed over 500,000 lives and displaced millions, with many fleeing Syria entirely.

Assad inherited an authoritarian system from his father, Hafez al-Assad, characterized by harsh suppression of dissent. Despite years of protests and rebellion, Assad had managed to hold onto power, largely through support from Russia and Iran.

On November 27, a coalition of rebel forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a sweeping offensive, capturing city after city, including Aleppo, Hama, Daraa, and Homs, before finally entering Damascus. The rapid collapse of the Syrian army and security forces signaled the end of Baath Party rule, which had dominated Syria for decades.

In the central city of Homs and other regions, similar scenes of celebration unfolded, with people flashing victory signs and expressing relief after years of fear and repression. Syrians living abroad also joined in celebrations, as seen in northern Lebanon and Istanbul, where people gathered to commemorate the end of Assad’s rule.

For many Syrians, the moment represents not just the fall of a regime but the beginning of a long-awaited chapter of hope and rebuilding.