Thousands commemorate the anniversary of the offensive that overthrew Al Assad in Syria

Thousands of people gathered this Friday in different areas of Syria to commemorate the first anniversary of the beginning of the offensive launched by opposition and Islamist groups that in December of last year ended the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

The provinces of Deraa (south), Homs (center) or Hama (northwest), as well as the iconic Umayyad Square in Damascus, hosted events this afternoon to commemorate the rapid offensive that in less than two weeks led to the overthrow of the Al Assad regime after more than half a century in power, as shown by images broadcast by local television stations. The participants carried the new flags of Syria and varied in numbers, from the massive gathering in Homs, to more symbolic acts in some towns of Hama.

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In Latakia (on the country’s Mediterranean coast), which was a stronghold of Al-Assad and the Alawite minority to which he belongs, the new authorities organized an event to mark the anniversary to claim unity among all communities, reported Syrian state television, Al Ijbariya. “Syria will not be divided and attempts to sow discord among its people will fail in the face of the awareness and unity of the people,” defended the governor of Latakia, Muhammad Othman, in a speech delivered during the event and reported by the state channel. Bashar al-Assad, who came to power upon the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, in 2000, was overthrown on December 8, 2024, when rebels led by the Islamist alliance Liberation of the Levant Organization reached Damascus. Sectarian violence has been one of the main problems of the transition and last March included a massacre of hundreds of Alawites in Latakia.