TOPSHOT - A Syrian rebel fighter fires rounds as people celebrate near the Clock Tower in the central city of Homs on December 8, 2024, after rebel forces entered Syria's third city overnight. Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by MUHAMMAD HAJ KADOUR / AFP)