The West Asian Arab nation of Syria experienced a dramatic shift in its regime in 2024, which ended five decades of dynastic rule under the Assad regime. With the completion of a year, Syrians are celebrating their first Independence Day, marking freedom from the Assad regime. This came 13 years after the Syrian revolution and civil war broke out in 2011, claiming thousands of lives under Assad’s crackdowns.
They gathered together in major cities, waving Syrian flags and chanting slogans of freedom as they tested the freedom from 50 years of oppression.
Dramatic Turnover
Bashar al-Assad, son of Hafez al-Assad who ruled Syria from 1970 to 2000, took over as the President of Syria on 17 July 2000. It was hoped that the UK-educated Assad would bring reforms to the regime. However, his regime turned more repressive than his father’s—marked by censorship, executions, surveillance by secret police, and forced disappearances. That fueled the Syrian revolution, and Assad’s deadly crackdown led to civil war.
The United States, the European Union, and the Arab League asked him to resign, but he refused. Between 2011 and 2024, over 600,000 people were killed in Syria, until on the morning of December 8, rebel troops entered Damascus and forced Assad to flee to Moscow, where his family members were already in asylum.
Reports claim that the opposition forces were actually surprised at how quickly the Assad regime collapsed in the wake of their offensive.
Whereas this was a significant blow for Iran, as their use of Assad-led Syria as a corridor to supply arms to the Hezbollah terror organization stopped, the West likened the collapse of the Assad regime.
Incumbent President of Syria: From Former Al-Qaeda Commander to a White House Guest
Ironically, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the incumbent president of Syria and trusted by Western allies, was a former commander of Al-Qaeda. Sharaa was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and grew up in Syria’s capital, Damascus. He joined Al-Qaeda in 2003 and fought for three years in Damascus. Al-Sharaa joined al-Qaeda in Iraq shortly before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Captured by US forces, Sharaa was imprisoned for 5 years (2006 to 2011). After he was released, he initiated the Syrian revolution. Since 2017, he cut ties with al-Qaeda and then sought international legitimacy with a more liberal perspective of himself. He also renounced the “jihadism” concept against Western nations.
Since he took over in 2024, Syria is hoping for transition and prosperity. Initially, he was the de facto leader, and on January 29, 2025, he was officially appointed as the President of Syria at the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference held in the People’s Palace.
He is also working on restoring Syria’s international relations, including with the U.S., Russia, and regional powers.
In December 2024, the US removed the $10 million bounty on Sharaa.
On September 22, 2025, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was seen with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the UN General Assembly.
On November 10, 2025, Sharaa met US President Donald Trump at the White House.
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