Editor's note : this image is distributed by Russian state owned agency Sputnik
(FILES) In this file pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 24, 2024. Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, 2024 sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Valery SHARIFULIN / POOL / AFP) / Editor's note : this image is distributed by Russian state owned agency Sputnik