Overview
- President Ahmed al-Chareh, in military uniform, led prayers at the Umayyad Mosque and hailed fighters before a military parade in the capital, according to official statements and AFP reporters.
- An Alawite cleric, Ghazal Ghazal, called for a boycott of the festivities as Alawite and Druze communities report deadly attacks this year, and the Kurdish administration barred public gatherings citing security threats.
- The interim leader has pursued international rehabilitation and secured sanctions relief, with AFP noting recent high-profile receptions abroad including a November meeting with President Donald Trump.
- The UN Commission of Inquiry praised some steps by Damascus but warned of fresh displacement and polarization, and Secretary-General António Guterres urged efforts to heal deep communal rifts.
- Assad remains in Moscow under tight restrictions, with media reports describing a guarded life in a luxury apartment and a September poisoning attempt reported by the Syrian Observatory; Damascus continues to seek his extradition.