This aerial photo shows Syrians around the Clock Tower in the central city of Homs as they celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad's iron-fisted rule earlier this week, on December 13, 2024. Thousands of jubilant Syrians also gathered outside a landmark mosque in the capital Damascus to celebrate during the first Friday prayers since Assad's ouster on December 8. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)