DAMASCUS – Syrians will mark the first anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad on Monday, as the country continues to search for stability after more than a decade of war. Official celebrations are planned in Damascus’ central Umayyad Square, which has already witnessed large gatherings in the days leading up to the event. Other regions are preparing similar events, reflecting the mixed emotions in a nation still healing from years of conflict.
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Assad fled to Russia last year when rebel forces led by Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, captured Damascus. His ouster came more than 13 years after an uprising against his rule spiraled into a devastating civil war. In cities such as Hama, thousands have taken to the streets waving Syria’s new flag to commemorate the day rebels seized control.
SYRIA: Umayyad Square in Damascus didn’t sleep tonight. Thousands out celebrating the 1st anniversary of fall of the despotic Assad regime that gutted Syria for 5 decades. A year on, many challenges remain, future unclear, but no looking back pic.twitter.com/Kl7hScIS7r
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) December 8, 2025
Syria marks one year since the fall of Assad regime, ending the decades of atrocities, as the country is on its path of rebuilding and stability pic.twitter.com/UhsvVLGR6u
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) December 8, 2025
The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria has congratulated citizens on the anniversary but imposed a ban on public gatherings, citing increased activity by “terror cells” seeking to exploit the occasion. Despite the restrictions, officials have called the moment significant for all Syrians. They urged communities to remain alert but united.
Sharaa—once a senior commander in al Qaeda—has sought to reshape Syria’s foreign ties, winning support from the United States and Gulf Arab states. Relations with Assad’s former backers, Iran and Russia, have cooled sharply, and several Western sanctions have been lifted. Sharaa has pledged to replace authoritarian rule with an inclusive political system.
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However, sectarian violence has continued in parts of the country, hindering efforts to restore full government authority. Some minority groups, including Druze communities in the south, have demanded autonomy or independence. Still, Sharaa told a forum in Qatar that Syria is entering “its best times,” promising accountability, reforms, and a new constitution within four years.
The United Nations estimates that 16.5 million Syrians will need humanitarian assistance in 2025, underscoring the long road to recovery.