Russian soldiers stand by military pickups as they prepare to evacuate a position in Qamishli in northeastern Syria 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. Assad was propped up by Russia, where he reportedly fled, as well as Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)