Tears of joy: Syrians celebrate freedom with prayers at Umayyad Mosque

Following the fall of the 61-year-old Ba'ath regime in Syria, thousands of people gathered in the capital, Damascus, to attend Friday prayers at the Umayyad Mosque. The crowd celebrated the first Friday prayers at the historic mosque after the regime and the Assad family's 61-year rule came to an end. Citizens from across the country flocked to the mosque, which had become the center of celebrations. The congregation prayed together and offered their prayers. Located in the heart of the capital, the Umayyad Mosque, also known as the 'Great Mosque of Damascus,' is considered one of the oldest and largest mosques in the world. On November 27, clashes had intensified between regime forces and anti-regime armed groups across Syria. By November 30 to December 7, these groups had gained control of major cities like Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, and Homs. On December 7, groups entering Damascus were supported by crowds of citizens, leading to the complete collapse of the regime, which lost control of the capital and many other regions. The Ba'ath Party's 61-year rule ended, and regime leader Bashar al-Assad fled the capital. Meanwhile, the Syrian National Army, during the first day of the 'Dawn of Freedom' Operation launched in December, liberated the district center of Tel Rifaat from the PKK/YPG terrorist group. Following the liberation of the Manbij district, the region, which had become the largest terrorist stronghold west of the Euphrates River, was cleared of PKK/YPG forces.