Overview
- Thousands rallied nationwide, with military parades and a packed Umayyad Square in Damascus, while the Kurdish-led northeast banned gatherings citing threats from "terror cells."
- Ahmed al-Sharaa, in military fatigues at dawn prayers, pledged to rebuild the state and said the transitional period will run four more years before a new constitution is put to a referendum and elections are held.
- The new authorities have won notable international backing, including a UN address and a White House visit, as many Western sanctions have been suspended or lifted.
- Violence persists in a fragmented landscape with sectarian attacks, friction with Druze and Kurdish communities, a renewed Islamic State threat, and Israeli operations that UN officials say heighten regional tensions.
- Humanitarian needs remain acute with 16.5 million people requiring aid in 2025 and reconstruction estimated at about $216 billion, even as limited service restoration and refugee returns signal tentative progress.