Thousands of Syrians take to streets to mark civil wars 14th anniversary and celebrate ousting Assad - amid spiralling violence meted out against toppled dictators followers
Thousands of Syrians have taken to the street to mark the 14th anniversary of the civil war and the ousting of the Assad regime.
Thousands of Syrians have taken to the street to mark the 14th anniversary of the civil war and the ousting of the Assad regime.
Crowds waved flags and chanted in rallies in cities including Damascus and Aleppo to celebrate the victory of rebels who toppled the former president.
Saturday marked 14 years to the day that Bashar Al Assad launched a brutal crackdown, sparking the nations civil war.
Those gathered in the capitals Umayyad Square were showered with flowers from helicopter gunships, in a symbol of peace instead of fear.
During the war, Assads helicopters dropped barrel bombs on areas occupied by his opponents.
It comes amid outbreaks of violence erupted in parts of the country against the ousted dictators remaining loyalists.
Yaman al-Ali came to celebrate the victory of the revolution she had backed since 2011.
He said: My feeling, of course, is incredibly, incredibly, incredibly great. First, because we have overthrown Bashar Assad. Of course, we are demanding his execution, not just his overthrow.
Today, by the grace of God, we have come to express our joy in victory, said Lamyaa al-Doueish.
Thousands of people celebrate the 14th anniversary of the start of the Syrian revolution in Umayyad Square in Damascus
People chant and wave the regimes new flag as they celebrate the fall of the Assad regime and the anniversary of the brutal crackdown that sparked the war 14 years ago
Syrias conflict began after Assad crushed largely peaceful protests amid the 2011 Arab Spring (pictured)
This is the first year, after 14 years, that God has blessed us with victory.
Syrias conflict started amid uprisings against dictators in the Middle East known as the 2011 Arab Spring, as Assad crushed what were largely peaceful protests, sparking a civil war.
More than half a million people have been killed and more than five million left the country as refugees.
Rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took control of the country last December after launching an offensive in Syrias largest cities.
On December 8, the Assad regimes 54-year rule was brought to an end after the rebels marched into Damascus as the ex president fled to Russia.
Earlier this week, Syrias interim government signed a deal with neighbouring Kurdish-led authority that controls the countrys northeast.
The countrys interim leader, President Ahmad al-Sharaa signed a new constitution vowing to protect the rights of all Syrians for the next five years, while preserving Islamist rule.
A Syrian security forces helicopter drops flowers on people celebrating the anniversary in Umayyad Square in Damascus - in a parallel of the Assad helicopters that dropped bombs on areas occupied by his opponents
Protesters pictured in 2011 marching against the Assad regime. Saturday marks 14 years since the civil war erupted after the peaceful demonstrations were crushed by Assad
Crowds wave the new regimes flag in the city centre of Idlib to mark the anniversary
A car burns following clashes between Syrias new authorities and supporters of deposed president Bashar al-Assad near the town of Jableh in the coastal province of Latakia on March 10, 2025
A member of the security forces loyal to the interim Syrian government guards a checkpoint previously held by supporters of deposed president Bashar al-Assad, in the town of Ayn Shiqaq, in the coastal province of Latakia, on March 11, 2025
People check the damage at the scene of a Syrian regime airforce strike that targeted a neighbourhood in Syrias rebel-held northern city of Idlib on December 1, 2024
Bashar Al-Assad (pictured) launched a crackdown following largely peaceful protests in 2011, sparking the Syrian civil war
Officials have called on western governments to lift sanctions which were imposed on the Assad government, with much of the population still left in poverty.
But the US and Europe have been reluctant to ease the restrictions without reassurances that the new regime will be democratic and respect the countrys minorities.
Outbreaks of violence have persisted since the end of the war. Just days before Saturdays anniversary, around 1,000 fighters, mostly of Assads Alawite minority community, were massacred following a violent clash with the current regimes forces.
HTS militants filmed themselves subjecting unarmed citizens in Alawite and Christian communities to extreme violence.
The government said the attacks on the west coast were a crackdown on remaining Assad loyalist forces, although evidence has shown that civilians were of the overwhelming majority of those killed.
Armed groups opposing the Assad regime seizing control of Aleppo on November 30, 2024
Crowds in Aleppo wave flags and banners in support of the operations against the ousted Assad regimes forces on March 7
Syrias interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (right) shakes hands with Commander of Syrian Kurdish-led forces Mazloum Abdi (left) after reaching a deal to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with state institutions
Residents celebrate following the signing of a breakthrough deal between Syrias interim government and the SDF, the Kurdish-led authority that controls the countrys northeast, in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, late Monday, March 10, 2025
Earlier on Saturday, two people were killed and seven others injured following an explosion at a hardware store in a four-story building in Syrias coastal city of Latakia.
The Syrian Civil Defense said that search operations remain ongoing for those missing, while the cause of the blast was not immediately clear.
President Al-Sharaa said that the mass killings threatened his mission to unite the country and vowed to punish those responsible, including his own allies if necessary.
God willing, we will be able to live together in this country, he said at a mosque in Damascus last Sunday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in addition to 745 civilians of the Alawite minority, mostly killed in massacres, 125 government security force members and 148 with armed groups affiliated with Assad were killed.
The war monitor added that electricity and drinking water were cut off in large areas around the city of Latakia.
A joint US-Russian statement condemning violence in the coastal region has been agreed by the UN Security Council and is set to be adopted by its members on Friday.
An Assad tank pictured on December 11 last year after crashing into highway verge on the road from Lebanon to Damascus, as rebel forces took control of the capital
Mourners are pictured carrying the coffin of a woman killed in Latakia during the deadly clashes
Security forces loyal to the interim government pose together with their firearms as they stand by the Mediterranean sea coast in Syrias western city of Latakia on March 9
A member of the Druze community in the town of Majdal Shams waves to Druze clerics as they cross the border back to Syria, as pictured from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
The statement from the Council read: The Security Council welcomes the Syrian interim authorities public condemnation of instances of violence and calls for further measures to prevent its recurrence.
It further called on all states to respect Syrias sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity and refrain from any actions that would destablise the country.
Its statement further expressed grave concern over the acute threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, urging Syria to take decisive measures to address the threat.
The words came as Israeli forces have struck Syrian military bases since the fall of the Assad regime.
They have also occupied a UN-monitored demilitarised zone in what it called an indefinite defensive measure.