Syria to mark one year since Assad toppled

Syrians will mark the first anniversary of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and his iron-fisted rule on Monday, as the fractured nation struggles to find stability and recover after years of war.



Official celebrations are planned for the central Umayyad Square in Damascus, which has already been packed with jubilant gatherings ahead of December 8, and elsewhere around the country.



Assad fled Syria for Russia a year ago as rebels commanded by Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, seized Damascus, toppling him more than 13 years into the war that spiralled out of an uprising against his rule.



Celebrations have been underway in some parts of Syria for several days: thousands of people filled the streets of Hama on Friday, waving Syria's new flag as they marked the day insurgents led by Sharaa's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group captured the city during their rapid march to Damascus.



The Kurdish-led administration that runs the northeast has congratulated Syrians on the anniversary but banned gatherings or events on security grounds, citing increased activity by "terror cells" seeking to exploit the occasion.