The portrait of Russia's President Vladimir Putin hangs next to an entrance to a building, reportedly used by the Russian Army, in the in the Syrian town of Al-Bassah in the Latakia province on December 12, 2024. Islamist-led rebels took the Syrian capital Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, ousting president Bashar al-Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in the country. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)