'We have hope': Syrians celebrate a new year and new era after fall of Assad regime

The streets of Old Damascus were bustling with revellers as people celebrated the arrival of 2025

A young woman holds the Syrian flag on New Year's Eve near Umayyad Square in Damascus. AFP

People watch fireworks as they celebrate the start of 2025. AFP

People celebrate in Bab Touma, Damascus. Getty images

Syrians are hoping for peace and stability in 2025. Getty images

A woman buys an LED balloon to ring in the new year. Getty images

Thousands packed into the historic Umayyad Square in Damascus and the Syrian capital's old quarter was bustling as people celebrated on New Year's Eve, nearly a month after rebels ended more than 50 years of Assad family rule over Syria.

While uncertainty lies ahead as the country’s new rulers plot the way forward after 13 years of brutal civil war, the feeling of hope among ordinary Damascenes was tangible.

Bab Touma Street in Old Damascus was filled with people, many sporting the green, white and black tricolour with three stars adopted by the opposition coalition that toppled former president Bashar Al Assad on December 8.

“Of course we have hope,” said Aisha, a young woman walking outside Cafe Shamli with friends.

“After everything we went through it would be impossible not to. I think that a lot is still to be decided for Syria, but one thing I feel is free and no fear.”

Although some of the winding, narrow streets of Old Damascus were dark, Bab Touma was brightly lit and adorned with glowing fairy lights. Small shops, restaurants and bars were open for business. Occasionally, armed men wearing black balaclavas, presumably from the opposition coalition, would emerge from the shadows as the night ticked slowly towards midnight.

Amid the celebrations, anger lingered over the brutal rule of Mr Al Assad, who imprisoned tens of thousands of his countrymen and enlisted the help of Russia and Iran as he fought to stay in power while the country's economy spiralled.

"I'll stamp on his neck," said Ahmed, a middle aged man who was standing near a roundabout with friends. "Welcome, welcome, relax," he added with a smile.

Syria's new ruling collation, led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, one of whose predecessors was at one point associated with Al Qaeda, has promised to be inclusive of all religions and minorities.

The pledge has not entirely quelled fears among some of Syria's many ethnic and religious minority groups that their way of life might be affected, even though there has been limited evidence of this so far. Passing through the various checkpoints on the way to Damascus, the final gunman at the border who prodded the bags of this reporter asked if there was anything "haram" inside, save for the multivitamins and Omega-3 tablets.

One shopkeeper in Damascus, who did not sell water but appeared to stock an assortment of alcohol, was cautious with his words and did not give his name. "Right now everything is like before," he said, as he sifted through a wad of banknotes bearing the face of the deposed president, who fled to Moscow.

He said he shut the shop for a few days after the fall of the old regime, but has since reopened. "Let's see," he said, when asked about the future.

Slowly, the signs of the new state are emerging. Whereas immediately after the fall of the Assad regime, the Lebanon-Syria border could be crossed in minutes, the new authorities have begun implementing formal entry procedures.

At the highest point on the motorway to Damascus from Beirut, as the road starts to descend into the Bekaa Valley, snow lined the road.

Both the Lebanese and Syrian immigration offices at the Masnaa border crossing, bombed by Israel but now open, were full of people heading to Damascus and further afield.

Back outside Cafe Shamli, Aisha's friend Fatima said: "Let's just be happy, God willing the future will be OK."