In photos: Syrians celebrate fall of Assad regime on first Friday since his ouster

 

People celebrate the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's rule while gathering on a street in Sweida, Syria, on December 13,. 

Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images

Thousands of Syrians are celebrating the fall of the Assad regime on the first Friday since Bashar al Assad fled the country.

After Friday prayers, people gathered across Syria, including in Damascus, as well as in Homs, Aleppo and Hama — cities that fell to the opposition forces over the past two weeks.

Here are some scenes from today’s celebrations:

People wave the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers on the first Friday after Syria's Bashar al-Assad was ousted, in the Damascus old city, on December 13. 

Ammar Awad/Reuters

A fighter of the ruling Syrian body stands with a weapon and a flower, at Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, on December 13. 

Ammar Awad/Reuters

A man waves the new Syrian flag while on a statue of Saladin, the Arab leader who defeated the Crusade armies for the battle of Jerusalem, in Damascus, Syria, on December 13. 

Ammar Awad/Reuters

Syrians chant slogans as they gather for Friday prayers at the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, on December 1