(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on December 9, 2024 shows the statue of Syria's late President Hafez al-Assad, father of ousted president Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus on December 2, 2024 (L) and next to it another picture showing a Syrians standing on the same statue after it was brought down following the fall of the Syrian capital in rebel hands on December 8, 2024. Islamist-led anti-government rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, sending the current president fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Louai BESHARA / AFP)