By Faruk Hanedar
BEIRUT (AA) - Residents of Lebanon's Tripoli marked the takeover of Syria’s capital, Damascus, by anti-regime armed groups on Sunday.
According to Lebanese media, celebrations were primarily held in al-Nur Square in Tripoli, where the crowd set off fireworks to commemorate the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Similar gatherings took place in northern Lebanese areas, including al-Beddawi and Danniyeh.
In Akkar, near the Lebanese-Syrian border, signs of the Syrian Ba'ath Party were reportedly removed.
- Developments in Syria
Clashes between Assad regime forces and anti-regime groups erupted on Nov. 27 in rural areas west of Aleppo, a significant city in northern Syria.
On Nov. 30, anti-regime forces captured most of Aleppo’s center and secured full control of Idlib province. Last Thursday, following intense clashes, they seized the city center of Hama.
The groups also advanced in Homs, a strategically crucial province leading to Damascus, capturing key settlements.
In Daraa province near the Jordanian border, opposition forces launched an operation on Friday, regaining control of the city center. The same day, they took over Suwayda province in the south and Quneitra’s provincial center.
By Saturday, anti-regime groups had seized Homs' provincial center and begun advancing into Damascus' southern suburbs. Regime forces abandoned key locations, including the Defense and Interior ministries and Damascus International Airport.
By Sunday morning, the Assad regime had lost all control over the capital.
Meanwhile, in ‘Operation Dawn of Freedom’ launched on Dec. 1, the opposition Syrian National Army liberated the Tel Rifaat district center from the PKK/YPG terrorist organization in Aleppo's rural areas.
*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Ankara