Overview
- Crowds packed Damascus’s Umayyad Square and other cities for parades, fireworks and flag-waving to mark the anniversary of the regime’s collapse.
- President Ahmed al‑Sharaa attended dawn prayers at the Umayyad Mosque and vowed to rebuild the country, reaffirming plans for a new constitution and elections after a four‑year transition.
- Western sanctions imposed during the Assad era have largely been lifted as Damascus forges new ties with the United States and Gulf states.
- Security remains fragile, with hundreds killed in sectarian violence this year; the Kurdish-led administration congratulated Syrians but banned gatherings over threats from “terror cells.”
- Humanitarian needs are acute, with the UN estimating 16.5 million people will require aid in 2025; return flows continue, with IOM reporting more than 782,000 cross‑border returns and officials citing 1.5 million helping the economy.