Updates: Syria marks one year since fall of Bashar al-Assad

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You can look back at what happened since that historic day one year ago with our timeline here.

You can also watch our video on how opposition forces toppled the al-Assad regime here.

Check out our in-depth story on Syria’s fight to identify the disappeared here.

We will be closing this live page shortly, but before we do, here’s a recap of the day’s big developments:

• Syrians are celebrating one year since the fall of al-Assad with fireworks and parades, amid renewed optimism that life will continue to improve as the country recovers from 14 years of war.
• Syrians also celebrated their football team reaching the knockouts of the FIFA Arab Cup.
• President al-Sharaa has pledged to “rebuild a strong Syria with a structure befitting its present and its past” as he performed the dawn prayer at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
• UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged the international community to “stand firmly behind this Syrian-led, Syrian-owned transition”.
• European Council President Antonio Costa has reiterated the bloc’s commitment to supporting “a peaceful, Syrian-led process focused on justice, reconciliation and the rights of all Syrians”.
• The Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces has extended its “warmest congratulations” to Syrians while emphasising the need for unification.
• The Syrian Postal Corporation has issued five stamps and a commemorative card to mark the one-year celebrations.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said Syria must never go back to living in “fear and arbitrariness” as it celebrates one year since the end of al-Assad’s regime.

“A year ago, Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime collapsed. The hell of the Sednaya prison came to an end. This moment must remain a point of no return. Syria can no longer live under fear and arbitrariness,” Barrot wrote on X.

He also called for “justice for the victims” and for “security” for the Syrian people.

Syria now has at least four main challenges:

• Building a unifying national identity, as it is a country with diverse people from mixed religions, ethnicities and sects – and from opposing political backgrounds.
• Security, both internally and externally. Remnants of the former regime are instigating unrest in the coastal region. Ethnic violence is a real threat, and Israeli strikes backing the Druze are a huge challenge. The government is building its military capabilities slowly. The lifting of Western sanctions would help, as would the unprecedented backing of regional countries.
• Economy: Creating jobs and running services are key for economic recovery. Creating jobs and feeding millions of Syrians are the priorities. Syria is getting huge financial support from regional countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye, among others.
• External intervention: Syria is surrounded by regional powers, each with different agendas to pursue in the country. On top of all that, Syria is strategically important to two superpowers: the US and Russia.

Syria has reached “a historic moment”, the country’s Interior Minister Anas Khattab has said, describing the year since the fall of al-Assad as the beginning of a new phase focused on reconstruction and national responsibility.

In a statement on X, Khattab said Syrians are “writing a new chapter with hope and determination”, adding that the will to rebuild the country “is stronger than any challenge”.

He added that the end of al-Assad’s rule came after “significant sacrifices and acts of heroism”.

A year since the fall of the Assad regime, many Syrians are still in shock at how quickly it crumbled.

After nearly 14 years of war that led to the destruction of the country, displacement of tens of millions of people and killing of tens of thousands, Syria’s revolution seems to have succeeded. At least for now.

I’ve covered Syria’s war for Al Jazeera from its borders. I spoke to many Syrians, young and old, rebels and civilians, pro- and anti-Assad, rich and poor. They all agree on one thing: their unshakable love for their nation, even if they have very opposing views, allegiances and aspirations.

A look back at the last year and what happened since then gives me a sense of hope. Because Syria’s new leaders seem focused on building a nation. They could have easily opted for a bloodbath. They had military power and huge public support to topple the regime at any cost.

It is not a perfect place, and huge challenges remain ahead. I hope they make use of this unique opportunity to rise from the shadow of war.

A year after the fall of al-Assad, students in Syria speak of hope, but also urgency – jobs, economy and a future that must arrive fast, said Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Aleppo.

“Only a part of the dream came true,” student Maha Khalil told Al Jazeera. “We have victory, but we lost years, homes, children. The real story begins now.

“We hope we will rebuild, but the youth are thinking to go abroad. And those who are abroad are afraid of coming back.”

In the coastal city of Latakia, engineering student and singer Josephine Lubbos was cautiously optimistic about her future.

“Minorities are still concerned, especially after the events in the coastal region and in Suwayda,” she said, referring to sectarian violence in the southern province that killed hundreds earlier this year. “I want to pursue a master’s degree in Germany and then come back – because our country needs us. We must contribute to Syria’s reconstruction.”

Lubbos likes to sing of return.

“We’re coming back,” she sang. “We’re going to come back to the home of love.”

Syrians are marking the first anniversary of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, as the fractured nation struggles to overcome sectarianism and rebuild its economy following 14 years of civil war.

The 53-year-long rule of the al-Assad family ended on December 8, 2024, after a lightning 11-day offensive that took Syria and the world by surprise.

The toppling of al-Assad also ended a long civil war that left lasting scars on the country and saw some 6.8 million Syrians – about one-third of the population – flee abroad.

This piece takes a look at what has happened over the past year.

Military parades organised by the Defence Ministry are taking place across several provinces, including in Hama, Homs and Deir ez-Zor.

Footage verified by Al Jazeera shows Syrian army members displaying equipment and weapons used in the battles that led to the fall of ousted President Bashar al-Assad last year.

Life in exile has not been easy for Syrian refugees. One in four people in Lebanon is a Syrian.

Hundreds of thousands crossed into Lebanon in search of safety, escaping war and persecution, and many others came to look for economic opportunities.

According to the UN refugee agency, approximately 300,000 of the 850,000 registered refugees have returned to Syria since al-Assad’s fall. But the UN is warning that this trend may not continue because there’s a lack of funding.

Life in Lebanon has been hard. The Lebanese authorities have placed a lot of restrictions because they don’t want to encourage them to stay. But returning home is not an easy decision for many because they have nothing to return to.

Hundreds of thousands of homes in Syria have been destroyed. There are many others that have been damaged, and people just do not have the money for repairs. There’s no infrastructure – schools, hospitals or jobs.

So, these are the reasons why people are not returning en masse to Syria.

December 8 marks one year since the al-Assad dynasty, which lasted 54 years, was removed from power by a rebel offensive.

Former President Bashar al-Assad led the country for 24 years, accused of systematic and widespread torture of opponents.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr was the first international journalist to enter Damascus as the city fell to the fighters.

Watch her journey on this day last year:

Samra Kamel, one of just two female basketball referees in Syria, sees sport as a path to helping young people rebuild their lives.

Watching a local women’s league match between Christian basketball players and Muslim teammates in Aleppo, Kamel told Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid that she wants the new government to invest in youth sport and reconnect Syrians to international competition.

“In our society, they say women can’t do what men do,” Kamel said. “We proved otherwise. We feared the new conservative order would stop us playing. It didn’t.

“For the youth of Syria, a lot has changed in the last year. They can choose their own team names. They’re not afraid of arrests by the military or the police. And they say this newfound freedom impacts their life both on and off the court.”

European Council President Antonio Costa has reiterated the bloc’s support for Syria.

“A year after the fall of the Assad regime, Syrians are taking steps toward a more stable and inclusive future. The EU stands with Syria, supporting a peaceful, Syrian-led process focused on justice, reconciliation and the rights of all Syrians,” Costa wrote on X.

He reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to political dialogue, urgent humanitarian support and Syria’s recovery and reconstruction.

After nearly 14 years of civil war, Syria is trying to turn the page on its past.

Crowds cheered the end of a dictatorship, and political prisoners walked out of the most notorious jails in the country, shocked at their freedom.

But the optimism of that day has now given way to the realities of transition – sectarian tensions, grinding poverty and demands for justice over atrocities carried out by the al-Assad regime.

So, can the new government bring real change and unity to Syria? And what can be learned from the steps it has taken so far?

Watch the discussion below:

Saad Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister, has called for his country and neighbouring Syria to forge a “solid relationship based on shared interests, investment, and the transition to an artificial intelligence economy”.

In a social media post commemorating the fall of al-Assad, Hariri wrote that “the Syrian people are opening a new door towards a modern state and a productive economy.

“This is a moment for the two peoples that must not be missed,” he said. “And for those who were the cause of the devastation, there is no place for them in the future.”

Hariri led Lebanon’s Sunni-majority Future Movement party for more than 15 years after the assassination of his father, a business magnate who also served as prime minister, in 2005.

He was appointed as prime minister-elect in late 2020 for a third stint in the post, but resigned less than a year later amid political deadlock.

Take a look around Aleppo and you will see the considerable damage that’s been done.

Aleppo was split, until 2016, between rebel forces and regime forces. This old, historic city took a real battering. You can see the destruction that has taken place – that will cost billions of dollars to rebuild and restore.

That’s why the government is looking to international partners for investment, to help with the rebuilding of this country, especially Aleppo, because the fighting here was so fierce.

Millions of people were displaced across the country. But also, Aleppo is the largest city and saw its population dwindle as that fighting took place.

So, yes, the mood is joyous, people are celebrating on the streets, chanting, singing and setting off fireworks, waving flags and dancing.

But there is a lot of work to be done.

The Syrian Postal Corporation has issued five stamps and a commemorative card to mark the one-year celebrations, the SANA news agency is reporting.

The items are set to go on sale from Tuesday at post offices across the country.

The report added that a stamp exhibition in the capital Damascus will open to the public for three days, featuring rare collections from Syria’s postal history.