This aerial picture shows people waving independence-era flags as fighters affiliated with Syria's new administration take part in a military parade at Abbasid Square in the eastern part of the capital Damascus on December 27, 2024. Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, sending president Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP)