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Live Blog Update| Syria War

Celebrations on the streets of Syria

Video footage circulating on social media is showing jubilant scenes in Syria.

In this video, a man can be seen running in a crowd through Damascus. He turns to say: “I have been in prison for 10 years. What happened?”

“The regime fell,” comes the reply, and he runs off laughing.

In the Damascus countryside town of Sahnaya, Christian Syrians have been seen celebrating beside a church and a Christmas tree.

"One, one, one, the Syrian people are one," they are heard singing.

Over in Tartus, on Syria's northwestern coast, people appeared to be rejoicing too.

Tartus and neighbouring Latakia are Assad's heartlands and provinces where many people of his Alawi sect live. Tartus also hosts a significant Russian naval base.

Yet in this video, crowds of people can be seen tearing down a statue of Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father and predecessor as president.