Image source, UK Parliament

The UK's Foreign Secretary David Lammy says the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria was a "humiliation" not just for Assad himself, but for the Russian and Iranian regimes who supported him.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Lammy says Assad was a "monster" with "the blood of countless innocents on his hands".

"We have long hoped to see him gone and welcome the opportunity this brings for the people of Syria," he adds.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy is delivering a statement about Syria to the House of Commons.

We'll bring you the key lines from his speech here, and you can follow along by clicking the Watch live button at the top of the page.

Saydnaya Prison housed possible crematorium to mask mass killings, US State Department claimedpublished at 16:45 Greenwich Mean Time 9 December 2024

16:45 GMT 9 December 2024

By Thomas Spencer and Matt Murphy

In 2017, the US State Department claimed that Syrian authorities had constructed a possible crematorium on the site of Saydnaya prison to dispose of the remains of murdered prisoners.

A State Department spokesperson said at the time that officials had built the facility as part of "an effort to cover up the extent of mass murders taking place in Saydnaya prison".

In particular, snow melting on the suspect building’s roof in January 2015 was “consistent with a crematorium, external”, officials told reporters. They added that at least 50 prisoners a day were being hanged at the facility at the time.

In the image below, the possible crematorium wing can be seen adjoining the White building, where military personal suspected of disloyalty to the regime were held.

• Get up to speed with the Saydnaya prison and everything we know about it

The fall of the Assad regime has left many wondering what the future of Syria will look like.

Let’s take a look at what the leader of Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has said about his vision for the country.

Image source, Reuters

On governance: In an interview with CNN, external on Friday, Jolani was asked whether post-Assad Syria would be governed via strict Islamic rule. He responded: “People who fear Islamic governance either have seen incorrect implementations of it or do not understand it properly.”

The leader of HTS said his group will focus on building a “governing system that is institutional, not one where a single ruler makes arbitrary decisions”.

On religious minorities: Jolani has sought to reassure Syria’s minority groups about the future governance of the country, insisting there should be a legal framework to ensure the rights of all.

“No-one has the right to erase another group. These sects have co-existed in this region for hundreds of years and no-one has the right to eliminate them,” he tells CNN.

On international relations: To Syria’s neighbours and powers like Russia, Jolani has pledged peaceful relations. He even assured Russia its Syrian bases would remain unharmed if attacks ceased.

Despite the assurances, human rights groups have still raised alarm over the rise of HTS, a group that has its roots in al-Qaeda and is designated a terror organisation by several Western powers.

The BBC's chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, also writes that the HTS leader is not the only player in Syria's fast-changing future.

A patchwork of groups have control over different parts of Syria - with the Syrian opposition Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) taking the key city of Homs on Saturday and its capital, Damascus, on Sunday.

Our colleagues over at the BBC's Visual Journalism team have put together this map showing which group controls each area after this weekend's events.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Fayzah Nadaf

I have been speaking to the Nadaf family in Idlib, north-western Syria, about their search for family member Thaer, who they believe is still alive in Saydnaya prison.

Thaer was 25 when he was arrested by the Syrian regime in 2011. His mother Fayzah says nobody knows why.

Thaer's brother, Mohammad, is currently in Damascus looking for him. He has been to Saydnaya prison and is also searching in mosques and hospitals.

Fayzah tells me that a doctor got out of the Saydnaya prison two months ago and told the family Thaer is alive. She believes he is in the second level underground floor in the red prison in room four.

"Thaer has been missing for 12 years and all the time I prayed that he could see his children again," Fayzah says, before adding:

"I raised his children; I hope he gets out of prison to see them."

Image source, Fayzah Nadaf

Thear’s son Mustafa tells me that his father was arrested when he was just 40 days old.

“I hope he comes back. I swear I miss him, I have never heard his voice,” he says.

As we mentioned earlier, it took only 12 days for Syrian rebel groups to topple the country's 50-year-old Assad regime and capture the country's capital of Damascus.

Here's a visual timeline of how it unfolded:

The Syrian rebel groups that overthrew Bashar al-Assad's government have just recently announced that they will grant amnesty to all military personnel conscripted into the army during his rule.

"Their lives are safe and no-one may assault them," a spokesperson for the rebel forces said in a post on Telegram, Reuters news agency reported.

As a reminder, the anti-Assad rebels have been spearheaded by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Earlier, Arab and Syrian news outlets reported that Mohammed al-Bashir - a prominent figure in the group - will lead the country's transitional government as interim prime minister.

Image source, EPA

Reaction is continuing to come in from around the world after rebel groups in Syria successfully toppled the country’s president Bashar al-Assad.

The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), Mark Rutte, has said in a statement that he hopes for a "peaceful transition of power and an inclusive Syrian-led political process” adding Syria’s new leaders “must uphold the rule of law, protect civilians and respect religious minorities".

“Russia and Iran were the main backers of the Assad regime, and they share the responsibility for the crimes committed against the Syrian people,” he added.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen echoed such calls, writing on X that Syria’s “territorial integrity and protection of minorities are critical”.

Earlier today, the UN human rights chief called for the perpetrators of human rights violations under the Assad regime to be held to account.

Speaking at a news conference in Geneva earlier today, Volker Türk urged rebel groups to uphold human rights in the country.

Mollie Perella
BBC Newsbeat

Image source, Lara Tarabishy

Lara Tarabishy fled the capital Damascus when she was just six, after her father campaigned against the regime for years.

“They told him either you stop saying anything against the president and start respecting him or you leave the country,” she told BBC Newsbeat.

Being so far away from Syria brings mixed feelings for Lara. “You feel so lucky that you’re away from the fights, away from the guns. But you feel like you can’t do anything from outside.”

Now 18 and a law student in London, Lara said she would love to go back to Syria “[but] it’s safer to see how things play out".

“If all Syrians are [treated] equal, there is nothing more in the world I would love than to go back," she said.

“Us Syrian youth, we should all want to go back to our country and rebuild it because we’re the future of Syria.”

Anastasia Golubeva
BBC Russian

Image source, Reuters

The decision to grant Bashar al-Assad and his family asylum in Russia was made personally by Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Peskov said the Kremlin was 'absolutely not obliged' to make an official statement about Assad's asylum in Russia and that he had nothing more to say about Assad's current whereabouts. He added that a meeting with Assad was not on Putin's official schedule.

The rhetoric of the Russian authorities and state media on the situation in Syria has changed in recent days. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov previously called the rebels 'terrorists' but on Sunday the foreign ministry issued an official statement calling them the 'opposition'.

State television also said Russia had fulfilled all its obligations to Assad but now needed to focus on its own security.

In just 12 days, Syrian rebel groups successfully toppled the country's 50-year old Assad regime and captured the country's capital, Damascus. The dramatic and swift offensive has caught many by surprise and marks a big development in the future of the Middle East.

If you're just catching up, here are the latest developments:

• Crowds have gathered in Syria, chanting and raising their fists, to celebrate the end of the Assad regime
• Arab and Syrian news outlets are reporting Mohammed al-Bashir - prominent figure in the administration run by HTS - will lead the country's transitional government as interim prime minister
• Syria's deposed President, Bashar al-Assad, has fled to Russia, where he has been granted asylum

• Rebels rushed into the notorious Saydnaya prison in Damascus and say they have freed more than 3,500 prisoners

• Leader of jihadist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, was welcomed by supporters at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

• US President Joe Biden described the fall of the Assad regime as a "fundamental act of justice"

• Israel's foreign minister confirmed Israel has attacked suspected chemical weapons and missile stores in Syria saying that this was to stop them falling into the hands of extremists

• The Kremlin said discussions will be held with Syria's new administration on the future of Russia's military bases in the country

• Some Syrians feel fear as questions remain about the future governance of the country

Image source, Reuters

Pete Allison
BBC Newsbeat

Image source, Abdo

“It's a historic moment for Syrian people,” Abdo, who is based in the northwestern city of Idlib, tells BBC Newsbeat.

“This might be a chance for Syria to recover, to start building itself, to start broadcasting love and peace.”

As rebel forces made their advances in the country, Abdo was woken up by his wife and told “something is happening”.

“I saw how people are celebrating, how happy people are here,” he said.

Abdo, who is studying media and communication at university, said he and his wife are making plans to go “every week to a city" in Syria.

“I went to Aleppo once, and I was going to the hospital. Damascus the same, I went once. Now I can go much more than that.”

Syria's more than decade-long civil war saw vast swathes of refugees cross the border into neighbouring Lebanon. By 2015, over a million had already moved west - and millions more headed north to Turkey or on into Europe.

But, with Bashar al-Assad having fled to Russia and his government collapsing in a matter of days, many are now making a long-awaited return home from Lebanon and elsewhere.

Watch below to see how celebratory gunfire lit up the Lebanese border at the Masnaa crossing earlier today:

Earlier today the Syrian civil defence group, White Helmets, said it was investigating reports of detainees trapped in hidden underground cells at the notorious Saydnaya prison in Damascus.

But now, a campaign group set up on behalf of Saydnaya detainees has issued a statement saying no prisoners remain trapped there - above or below ground.

"There is no truth to the presence of detainees trapped underground, and the information contained in some press reports is inaccurate," the Association for Detainees and the Missing in Saydnaya Prison (ADMSP) says.

"The association and its team present inside Saydnaya prison confirm that it is empty of all detainees in all its buildings," it continues, adding that the last detainee from the prison was rescued yesterday.

This follows an update from the White Helmets, which earlier said it had found no evidence of people trapped in secret underground areas so far. Searches of the Saydnaya are ongoing, the group adds its most recent update.

Image source, Reuters

Arab and Syrian news outlets are reporting that Mohammed al-Bashir will lead the country's transitional government as interim prime minister.

He previously led the administration that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) set up to run Idlib province - which was a province for the Islamist militant group and its allies, and from which it launched its offensive against the Assad government just under two weeks ago.

Image source, Reuters

The Unites States was not directly involved in the offensive that brought rebels to power, the US national security adviser has said.

“We did not direct it,“ Jake Sullivan told CBS, the BBC’s US partner.

“There’s an opportunity to build something significantly better going forward,” Sullivan said, adding the US will work with “all the groups” in Syria.

Although President Joe Biden has not spoken directly to president-elect Donald Trump about events in Syria, Sullivan said he has spent "a considerable amount of time" briefing his national security adviser successor Mike Waltz.

The White House is monitoring the situation in Syria for information regarding the whereabouts of American journalist Austin Tice who disappeared at a Damascus checkpoint in 2012, Sullivan said.

The White House is in touch with Turkey, other countries in the region and people on the ground in Damascus to “track who's coming out of these prisons,” Sullivan added.

The Muhajireen Presidential Palace was, until recently, a residence of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.

But now, after a swift offensive by Syrian rebel factions prompted the end of the 50-year Assad dynasty, the palace is vacant and open to ordinary citizens.

Assad and his family have since fled to Russia where they have been granted asylum in the country.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

What happens now?published at 13:38 Greenwich Mean Time 9 December 2024

13:38 GMT 9 December 2024

Lina Shaikhouni
BBC World Service

Oliver Barreto asks: How soon Syria can organise local elections?

There are a lot of unknowns and it's too early to say exactly what is going to happen next.

Syria does have parliamentary and presidential elections, but those were predominantly taken over by one party under the Assad regime.

What the hope is right now, and this is the true test. Is how quickly can we establish a situation where there is political representation for everyone?

This is an opportunity for all opinions and political beliefs to come together and be able to hold elections which actually reflect the will, hopes and aspirations of the people represented in a proper parliament.

You have so many political opposition leaders who have been exiled for years by the Assad regime.

Now, are these people going to go back? Are they able to campaign? Will they be able to participate and are we going to be able to see free and fair elections that represent the people?

Time will only tell if all these people who make up the diverse community that is Syria will be able to come back and start a new Syria for everyone.

This brings us to the end of Your Questions Answered, but stick with us as we continue to bring you the latest from Syria.

What are the implications for peace in the Middle East?published at 13:30 Greenwich Mean Time 9 December 2024

13:30 GMT 9 December 2024

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Claire Lawrence asks: How realistic is it to see a more harmonious Middle East?

If you look at the overthrow of various dictators around the region - very few countries have ended up living peacefully.

Libya sadly got into a real mess after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 - and still has competing rival administrations.

Iraq following the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003 was plunged into chaos, which eventually gave rise to so-called Islamic State.

That said, the indications so far from the victorious rebel leadership are very encouraging. They have placed guards on banks to prevent looting and promised to deliver an inclusive government.