Overview
- The Defense Ministry staged the parade on Damascus’s Mezzeh highway with helicopters flying overhead, according to SANA.
- President Ahmed Al‑Shar’ attended with several ministers and appeared in military dress, state-linked reports said.
- Before the parade he performed dawn prayer at the Umayyad Mosque and vowed Syria would overcome obstacles and rebuild nationwide.
- He placed a piece of the Kaaba’s kiswa in the mosque, described by SANA as a gift from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
- Large crowds headed to Umayyad Square for the festivities as security forces tightened measures around the area, SANA reported, while mosques in most governorates broadcast takbeers to open the day’s events.