People wave Syrian flags while driving cars as Syrian residents in Turkey celebrate the end of the Baath rule in Syria after rebel fighters took control of Damascus overnight, in Istanbul, on December 8, 2024. 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 Yasin AKGUL / AFP)