A new start for Syria - 13th January 2025

In Damascus, Syria, people celebrated New Year with great excitement. On 8th December 2024, a rebel army entered Damascus. President Assad and his family, who were in control, had to leave Syria.

General Hafez al-Assad took control of Syria in 1970. His son Bashar took over in 2000. In 2011, a civil war broke out and six million Syrians had to leave. 580,000 people were killed, and over half of these were ordinary men, women and children.

Yamamah al-Ubaid won't forget what the Assads did.

Yamamah al-Ubaid: "Today is the first day of 2025. Last year, the Syrian people witnessed an important event - the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the end of the Assad era, which lasted 54 years. However, we will not forget and we will continue to remember and demand that all officials whose hands were stained with the blood of the Syrian people be held accountable."

The Assad family was beaten by Hayat Tahir al-Shan (HTS), which is a rebel army. Their leader is Ahmed al-Sharaa. Many are worried about HTS because it used to be part of al-Qaeda, a terrorist group. But al-Sharaa's hoping to change their views, both inside and outside the country. He says Syria isn't going to be like Afghanistan.

While some are nervous about HTS, others are excited. This student, Nour Haloum, wants life to be fair for Syrian people.

Nour Haloum: "We are now witnessing the first moments of 2025 and we hope that the country's situation will improve and its institutions will reopen. That all things become easy for citizens and we can obtain our rights. We do not want more than that, just our basic rights."

Everything the new leaders do will be watched carefully. Syrians at home and abroad are waiting to see what happens.