Syrian refugees hold a banner bearing a picture of President Bashar al-Assad with Arabic writing referring to him as a "pig" in the eastern Lebanese town of Majdel Anjar in the Bekaa Valley on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the Syrian capital to anti-government fighters. Islamist-led rebels took Damascus on December 8 after a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath party rule in Syria. (Photo by Nidal SOLH / AFP)