• Syrians woke up to a new era after President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, marking the end of a 13-year civil war.
• The fall of Assad's regime has been hailed as a significant turning point for the Middle East, dismantling a stronghold of Iranian and Russian influence.
• The HTS, despite efforts to soften its image, remains designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., Turkey, and the UN.
• The fall of Assad's regime sparks hope for Syria's revival, but the country now faces the monumental task of rebuilding after years of conflict.

Syrians woke up to a new era of hope and uncertainty on Monday, following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia, marking the end of a 13-year civil war and over 50 years of his family's brutal rule. The swift advance of a militia alliance led by Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, has been hailed as one of the most significant turning points for the Middle East in generations. Assad's fall has dismantled a stronghold from which Iran and Russia wielded influence across the Arab world.

The Russian media reported that Moscow has granted asylum to Assad and his family. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, confirmed this on his Telegram channel on Sunday. The international community has welcomed the end of the Assad's autocratic rule, as they reassess the new Middle East landscape. U.S. President Joe Biden remarked, " Syria is in a period of risk and uncertainty, and it is the first time in years that neither Russia, Iran, nor the Hezbollah organization holds an influential role there."

However, the HTS, despite its efforts to soften its image over the years, remains designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., Turkey, and the United Nations. Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, stated that Tokyo was closely monitoring the developments in Syria. Assad's overthrow could potentially limit Iran's ability to spread weapons to its allies and could cost Russia its Mediterranean naval base. It could also pave the way for millions of refugees, who have been scattered in camps across Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan for over a decade, to finally return home.

The Aftermath of Assad's Fall

The rebels now face the monumental task of rebuilding and running a country ravaged by war, which has left hundreds of thousands dead, cities reduced to rubble, and an economy hollowed out by global sanctions. Syria will need billions of dollars in aid. A new history, my brothers, is being written in the entire region after this great victory, said Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the head of HTS. Speaking to a large crowd at Damascus' Umayyad Mosque, a place of enormous religious significance, Golani expressed his belief that with hard work, Syria could become a beacon for the Islamic nation.

The Assad regime was notorious for its harsh police state, with hundreds of thousands of political prisoners held in horrifying conditions. On Sunday, elated but often confused inmates were released from jails. Reunited families wept in joy, and newly freed prisoners were filmed running through the Damascus streets, holding up their hands to show how many years they had been in prison. The White Helmets rescue organization dispatched emergency teams to search for hidden underground cells believed to still hold detainees.

With a curfew declared by the rebels, Damascus was calm overnight. Roads leading into the city were mostly empty. One shopping center had been looted on Sunday, and some people rampaged inside Assad's presidential palace, leaving with furniture. The rebel coalition stated that it was working to complete the transfer of power to a transitional governing body with executive powers, referring to building a Syria together.

Global Reactions and Future Concerns

The pace of events has stunned world capitals and raised concerns about more regional instability on top of the Gaza war, Israel's attacks on Lebanon, and tensions between Israel and Iran. The U.S. Central Command reported that its forces conducted dozens of airstrikes targeting known Islamic State camps and operatives in central Syria on Sunday. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Sunday he spoke with Turkish Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler, emphasizing the importance of protecting civilians and that the United States is watching closely.

During Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad, his forces and their Russian allies bombed cities to rubble. The refugee crisis across the Middle East was one of the biggest of modern times and caused a political reckoning in Europe when a million people arrived in 2015. In recent years, Turkey had backed some rebels in a small redoubt in the northwest and along its border. The United States, which has about 900 troops in Syria, backed a Kurdish-led alliance that fought Islamic State jihadists from 2014-2017.

The fall of Assad's regime has sparked hope for Syria's revival after years of conflict. The Syrian Football Association has changed the national team's kit and logo color from red to green following the fall of al-Assad's government. Our new national team uniform, the SFA shared on Facebook, alongside a photo of players in green jerseys. This is the first historic change in Syrian sports, marking a departure from nepotism, favoritism, and corruption, they added.