A picture shows a burnt billboard bearing a portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at central Aleppo's Saadallah al Jabiri Square on December 5, 2024, as rebel forces, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), captured the central city of Hama, days after seizing the country's northern commercial hub Aleppo. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)