Demonstrators trample a carpet with a design showing President Bashar al-Assad during a protest outside the Syrian consulate in Istanbul on December 8, 2024. Syria's capital woke up on December 8, 2024 to chanting, cheering and gunfire in celebration of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, after rebels said they entered the city and toppled the longtime ruler. Rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions have pressed a lightning offensive since November 27, sweeping swathes of the country from government control, including major cities Aleppo, Hama and Homs and entering the capital Damascus early Sunday. (Photo by KEMAL ASLAN / AFP)