An aerial picture shows the main square of the coastal Syrian city of Latakia with a sign decorated with the opposition flag colours, on December 10, 2024. Islamist-led rebels declared on December 8, that they have taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. The region of Latakia was the heartland of Assad's minority Alawite community, but after the rebel takeover, people there toppled a statue of the deposed dictator's father. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)