As Syrians around the world celebrate, panic grips citizens in Damascus

Syrians around the world celebrated the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government savouring a new sense of freedom and overjoyed that a "tyrant government" had been toppled.

But, there is also fear along with jubilation and joy about what the future will bring.

In Damascus particularly, a sense of panic has also gripped its citizens, as they worried over what would come next and hunted for essential supplies.

Also read: Millions of Syrian refugees celebrate, gear up to return to homeland

According to an AFP report, while some people were seen celebrating atop a tank in Ummayad Square, some anxious Damascus residents were withdrawing money from ATMs and looking for essential supplies.

Syrian rebels, who had been waging a war against Assad’s regime for 13 years, entered the capital Damascus in the early hours of Sunday (December 8), forcing the ousted president to flee the country.

Former president Assad has fled to Moscow, Russian state media has reported, adding that Assad and his family had been granted asylum.

Also read: For US, Israel, fall of Syria’s Assad is biggest in slew of victories

Unbelievable, indescribable joy

This sudden and dramatic development has made many Syrians living abroad overjoyed. According to reports, many Syrians have said their primary feeling is one of disbelief and they are still in shock.

Overwhelmed by emotion, they are filled with a “warm feeling,” and told the international media that they are waiting to return to Syria, to their homeland and reunite with relatives.

According to a BBC report, the majority of Syrians living in Northern Ireland, for example, are "against the regime" and "had to leave because they feared for their lives". Many had left Syria after being tortured by the Syrian regime and traumatised by Assad.

Also read: As rebels toppled Assad regime in Syria, how India, US and China have reacted

The Assad family ran Syria for 53 years with an iron fist, with Bashar al-Assad taking power in 2000, after his father had ruled for almost three decades.

Syria’s war erupted in 2011 as an uprising against al-Assad’s rule and quickly became a full-blown civil war that dragged in foreign powers.

Hundreds of thousands of people were killed while millions were forced from their homes leading to one of the world’s largest refugee crises.

Cheer around the world

Many Syrians living in cities around the world came out on the streets to celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government with chants and prayers.

A man waved a Syrian flag as people gathered on the streets in Berlin, in Germany and Syrians in Spain celebrated the rebel takeover of Damascus outside the Syrian Embassy in Madrid. While members of the Syrian community in Cyprus celebrated in Nicosia and in Beirut in Lebanon.

In Greece, Syrians stood in front of the Syrian embassy in Athens holding the Syrian opposition's "revolution flag". Syrians cheered to celebrate the end of al-Assad's rule at the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, Turkiye, while Syrians in Vienna celebrated in front of the Austrian parliament.

Panic and celebration

Meanwhile, there is panic as well as celebration on the streets of Damascus.

A resident said they were afraid because they did not know what’s going to happen. "Nobody wants to see fighting in Damascus. Everything is ambiguous and nothing is clear for anyone," said a resident, BBC reported.

Shops were closing down, supplies were running low and ATMs were out of cash.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, Daniel Shapiro said that the primary concern is the “potential power vacuum”, which might lead to the rise of Islamist insurgents, further destabilising Syria and the wider region. One of the key players in ousting the Assad regime has been Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a former al-Qaeda operative and the face of the rebellion.

The US is working to determine who will control Syria moving forward, stated that the US will continue its presence in the region and take necessary steps to prevent the resurgence of the group, said news agencies.

They were worried that the unstable situation on the ground in Syria could provide ISIS with the opportunity to regroup, plan external attacks, and enhance their operations. Daniel Shapiro.

Though the rebels, once affiliated with Al Qaeda have sought to soften their image in recent years, many worry they will revert to their repressive roots.

Christians in Aleppo

For example, in Aleppo, Christians fear for their future after the Islamist takeover. The Hayat Tahrir al sham, or HTS, is the group run by former Al-Qaeda operative al –Jolani.

Global powers, including the US and the UK, continue to see the group as an al-Qaeda affiliate.

Syrian Christians now fear for their lives after Assad's fall. The ex-ISIS-affiliated HTS militants who have assumed control of the nation are known for their brutal killing of minorities.

NGOs fear that Syrian Islamic terrorists wanted Assad gone because his government was somewhat "secular".

"For example, giving women a choice whether or not to wear a hijab. They will all be in burqas soon and these terrorists will try to establish a caliphate," commented a user on X (formerly Twitter).