Tens of thousands of Syrians flooded the streets of Damascus on Monday to mark the first anniversary of the collapse of the Assad regime.
The celebrations came a year after former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the capital as rebels stormed into the country in a lightning offensive that ended five decades of Assad family rule and opened a new chapter in Syrian history.
A wave of transformations and historic firsts have since redrawn Syria’s political landscape, culminating in a diplomatic breakthrough with the United States, with President Donald Trump hosting interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa for an unprecedented visit to the White House.
The long-standing Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, seen as the United States’ most restrictive sanctions on Syria since its enactment in 2019, is on the verge of being rolled back, with a full repeal in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
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“Caesar destroyed Syria’s economy and Syria’s future, even when everything else was going well. And now Syria has real hope. Today, on the first anniversary of its liberation, the greatest gift the Syrian people could have received is the lifting of the Caesar Act.”
The NDAA will be voted on in the House of Representatives this week.
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As Syrians celebrate Assad’s overthrow, the country now faces the daunting task of rebuilding, from rebuilding and revitalizing the economy to seeking justice for families still waiting for answers about loved ones forcibly disappeared by the regime.
People hold portraits of relatives killed or disappeared under the Assad regime during a mourning demonstration at Hijaz station in Damascus on December 27, 2024. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Data from the Syrian Network for Human Rights indicate that more than 170,000 people remain forcibly disappeared in Syria between March 2011 and August 2025, the overwhelming majority of whom were held in former Assad regime detention centers.
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Syria has also seen outbreaks of sectarian violence this year, particularly in Sweida, where Druze militias, Sunni Bedouin tribes and Syrian government forces clashed violently.
Syrian soldiers gather near Sweida on July 15, 2025, as black smoke rises after deadly sectarian clashes in the southern province. (Stringer/Getty Images)
“If they are convicted and held accountable, it will be remarkable. Even more remarkable under the presidency of a man who was a former member of Al Qaeda.”
In July, the U.S. State Department formally revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist group formerly led by al-Sharaa.
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US President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House. (BING GUAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images; Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump has met al-Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, three times since returning to the White House.
He has praised Syria’s new leader despite his past and urged Israel to maintain a “strong and true dialogue” with Damascus amid Israeli ground incursions in southern Syria.
“We are doing everything in our power to ensure that the government of Syria continues to do what it set out to do, and that is substantial, to build a real and prosperous country,” Trump said in a December Truth Social post.
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“It is very important that Israel maintains a strong and genuine dialogue with Syria, and that nothing happens that will hinder Syria’s evolution into a prosperous state.”
Wanted-style portraits of former Syrian President Bashar Assad are displayed in the window of a coffee shop in Damascus on December 7, 2025. (Hussein Malla/AP)
Al-Sharaa called on the Russian government earlier this year to extradite Assad – who had been granted asylum in Moscow – so he could face trial for the atrocities he committed during his time in power.
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“The progress we have seen in the year since the fall of dictator Assad has been incredible. Syria has transformed from a puppet of Putin and ally of the Iranian regime into a partner of the United States, joining the coalition against ISIS and removing Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Under the leadership of Ambassador Tom Barrack, we have seized a historic opportunity under President Trump by supporting President al-Sharaa’s efforts and lifting crippling sanctions on Syria,” said Wilson.
“There is progress to be made, but without these bold and visionary actions to give Syria a chance, the country would descend into fragmented chaos that would be exploited by terrorists,” he said. “Syria has a rich, multi-ethnic and religiously pluralistic history. Its people have suffered for more than half a century under the sadistic socialist Assad.”
