The fall of Assad was like 'the Middle East's Berlin Wall'
Syrians marked the first anniversary of the overthrow of former President Bashar Assad's government on Monday, with fireworks lighting up the sky, music blaring from cars and buses and the country's new flag waving from balconies.
In the capital Damascus, residents woke up early to the sound of mosques reciting the takbirat on loudspeakers - a prayer which accompanies moments of widespread religious and national feeling.
Later, in the iconic Umayyad Square, a military parade featuring horses, tanks and helicopters took centre stage.
Similar scenes played out in the cities of Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Idlib and Daraa, where music blared from balconies, and crowds danced to mark what is now celebrated as Liberation Day.
The anniversary of his ouster sparked emotional outpouring on social media with many framing the day as a moment of national rebirth.
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"On this day, Syria breathed again," one user wrote in Arabic.
"It was liberated and returned to its people. May goodness and safety spread across it always."
في مثل هذا اليوم تنفّست سوريا من جديد وتم تحريرها وعادت لشعبها وأبنائها 🇸🇾❤️
— هاني (@iih4u) December 8, 2025
نسأل الله أن يحفظ سوريا وأهلها وأن يعمّ الخير والأمان على ربوعها دائمًا ❤️ pic.twitter.com/hegOGdPEwK
Others described the anniversary as deeply personal, recalling where they were when Damascus fell.
One user wrote that the day remained "the happiest moment of my life", remembering being in the capital as news of the takeover spread.
Several posts highlighted the suddenness and historical scale of the transition.
One user compared Assad's fall to "the Middle East's Berlin Wall", recalling staying awake through the night last December, "glued to my screen but also fearing for my family in Damascus".
This time last year I was awake and glued to my screen, waiting for news but also fearing for my family in Damascus. The fall of the Assad regime was the Middle East’s fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of its Soviet Union moment, all in one. One year ago a nightmare ended.
— Maysaloon (@Maysaloon) December 8, 2025
For others, the anniversary carried a sense of cautious hope.
One Syrian social media user who returned home this year wrote about visiting their family’s cemetery and "walking my city without fear" for the first time in years.
Amid the celebrations, many Syrians also used the anniversary to remember those lost during the war. People flooded social media with photos of relatives killed over the past decade and carried their images while they marched.
Many posts reflected on the cost of the moment, with one user writing that, "the price of victory was not cheap" and another adding, "we pray for those who paid the price and paved the way".
For many, the anniversary remains a marker of both relief and unfinished work.
"I still can't believe it’s been a year… Syrians ended a dictatorship, and the path ahead is challenging, but we move forward with determination. Proud Syrian Liberation Day."
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