Syria celebrates first anniversary of Assad’s fall with optimism and challenges
One year after Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus, Syrians are celebrating newfound freedoms and a fragile sense of renewal
DAMASCUS, Syria (MNTV) — Syria marked the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad’s fall on Monday, with crowded streets, helicopter flyovers, and the new leadership pledging to rebuild a nation devastated by decades of authoritarian rule and over a decade of war.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa, appointed as transitional president in January this year, told crowds that Syria was entering a new phase of reconstruction that would be “worthy of its present and its past.”
His remarks sought to direct a country still emerging from the wreckage of Assad’s 61-year Ba’athist dynasty, a period marked by political repression, economic collapse, and a civil war that killed an estimated half a million people.
Across Damascus, celebrations unfolded on a scale not seen since before the conflict. Helicopters swept across the skyline while troops marched along the Mezzeh Highway in a military parade overseen by senior commanders.
Fourteen paragliders streaked above Umayyad Square as families gathered below, waving flags and chanting for a “new Syria.”
In Aleppo, residents flooded central squares, dancing, singing, and lighting fireworks. In Daraa, Douma, Misraba, and Hama, military parades and community festivals stretched through the day. State TV carried images of crowds holding banners celebrating “the end of the Ba’ath era.”
Security forces maintained a heavy presence in major cities, with a celebratory mood. Many residents, especially in the capital, said the anniversary represented relief from decades of surveillance, political suffocation, and economic decadence.
“We finally feel we can breathe,” said Mahmoud Saqr, a shopkeeper in Damascus. “Life was heavy under the old regime. Today feels like a beginning.”
Syria’s state-run broadcaster Alikhbariah reported that around 900,000 Syrians have returned through land crossings since Assad fled to Russia last December. Many arrivals are returning to rebuild homes and reclaim land abandoned during years of fighting.
But even amid celebration, Syrians know the road ahead will be hard.
A United Nations commission warned last week that displacement and political polarisation have surged since Assad’s fall, reflecting unresolved tensions between communities that experienced the war in profoundly different ways.
The commission listed four central challenges shaping Syria’s next phase.
Rebuilding a national identity
Syria’s social fabric remains fragile. The country’s ethnic, religious, and regional diversity, long manipulated by the Ba’athist state, now requires a new political framework that acknowledges pluralism. Communities that once coexisted have emerged from the war with competing visions for the future.
Analysts say building a national identity that reflects all Syrians will be central to political stability. Transitional authorities have launched local reconciliation committees and held limited community dialogues, but trust remains thin.
A senior UN adviser told MNTV that “Syria must find a civic identity that rises above sectarian or political fault lines. Without that, long-term peace will be elusive.”
Despite Assad’s departure, remnants of the former regime remain active, particularly in the coastal region where pro-Assad militias have staged periodic unrest. The transitional government accuses these elements of sabotaging security reforms.
Syria’s borders remain vulnerable. Israeli airstrikes continue to target what it claims are Iranian-linked militia positions, while occasional skirmishes in the south raise fears of wider confrontation. Reports from local monitors also point to tensions involving Druze groups aligned against Damascus.
Al-Sharaa’s administration is ramping up recruitment for the national army, rebuilt after Assad’s departure, though analysts note it remains under-resourced and reliant on regional backers. The new president is negotiating with Western governments to ease sanctions, arguing that stability cannot be restored without economic breathing space.
Syria’s economy is in deep distress after years of bombardment, sanctions, displacement, and collapsed infrastructure. Millions rely on humanitarian assistance, while fuel shortages, unstable power supplies, and high unemployment weigh heavily on daily life.
The government has identified job creation as its top economic priority. Reconstruction projects backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Türkiye are expected to generate thousands of posts, which experts caution will take years.
Basic services such as electricity, healthcare, and education remain inconsistent. The Finance Ministry says rebuilding key infrastructure, power grids, water networks, schools, and hospitals will require billions of dollars in investment.
Managing foreign influence
No regional crisis attracts as many competing interests as Syria. Iran, Russia, Turkiye, the United States, and Gulf states all have stakes in the country’s future, and their influence has shaped the conflict at every stage.
Assad’s flight to Russia ended one chapter, but it did not remove foreign actors from the equation. Washington remains focused on counterterrorism operations in the northeast.
Turkiye maintains a military presence along parts of its border. Gulf states, once arming different factions, are now competing to shape reconstruction and trade.
The UN warns that unless Syria establishes a coherent foreign policy rooted in sovereignty, external powers may continue to drive its internal trajectory.
For many Syrians, the emotional weight of this anniversary is tied to survival. After 14 years of war, destruction, and displacement, the ability to celebrate openly and without fear of security forces carries deep meaning.
“We lost family, homes, even our sense of who we were,” said Rasha al-Masri, a schoolteacher in Aleppo.
“Today, we are showing the world that Syria is still alive. But rebuilding our lives will take a long time.”
International analysts agree that the country has shown great resilience and Assad regime, once considered a steel wall has shred into pieces.
While Syria has entered a new era, its political institutions are still provisional, and its economy remains fragile. The stability of the transitional government will depend on its ability to deliver tangible improvements without reigniting old divisions.
President al-Sharaa has said he will unveil a national reconstruction strategy early next year, focusing on political reform, decentralisation, and economic revitalisation. He has also pledged transitional justice mechanisms, though details remain unclear.
For now, Syrians are allowing themselves a moment of collective pride. Fireworks lit up Damascus late into the night as crowds chanted, “Syria is free.” But beneath the celebration lies an understanding that the next year will be pivotal.
Syria has entered a new chapter. Whether it becomes a story of recovery or one of renewed turmoil will depend on choices still to come.
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