Syrian and Russian forces battled to bring Syria's second city of Aleppo under Assad's full control for years, unleashing widespread devastation.View on euronews

And so, during the war, the Mediterranean became a graveyard, and Syrians who had already lived through bombardment watched as their family, their friends and their neighbors drowned. A photo of a little boy, Aylan Kurdi, emerged, his body lying face down on the shores of Turkey. The conscience of the world was briefly stirred.

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to the territory held by the rebel alliance that ousted Bashar al-Assad. The alliance holds much of Syria’s northwest,

The historic Baron Hotel in Syria’s Aleppo is dilapidated and damaged by years of war but still standing and ready for a revival, much like the

The Syrian regime’s collapse came more quickly than the rebels had dreamed — the circumstances were both serendipitous and part of a larger global realignment.

Rebel fighters who took control of Aleppo about two weeks ago have promised security and continuity. Prices have skyrocketed, but residents express some hope for the future.

We should ask the militants who toppled Bashar al-Assad in Syria what became of missing U.S. reporter Austin Tice and why

After public protests and then rebellion erupted in Syria in 2011, Assad’s regime clung to power through systemic torture and relentless military campaigns with support from Iran, Russia, and an array of allied militias.

Bashar al-Assad became a client of Iran and Russia and fled the country when they stopped supporting him. The US is in the north-east, to hunt remnants of Islamic State and to protect its Kurdish allies. Turkey controls much of the north-west and has its own Arab-led militia.

A Syrian former political prisoner says it “felt like a dream” when Bashar al-Assad’s murderous regime finally fell, bringing an end to decades of dictatorship. Firas Filfleh, 38, experienced both joy and grief as he watched footage of people being liberated from prisons including Al-Ballouna in Homs - where he too was once tortured.

Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria's new leader in Damascus on Sunday, Ankara's foreign ministry said.