On 8 December 2024, rebel forces led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured Damascus. With Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Daraa already under rebel control, the Assad regime crumbled — and by nightfall, President Bashar al-Assad had fled.
For many Syrians, this was a moment of catharsis. After 24 years of dictatorial rule and over a decade of lethal civil war, there was a sense of hope for something different.