Thousands of Syrians gathered at Umayyad Square in Damascus to celebrate after the first Friday prayers following the downfall of former president Bashar Assad.Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of insurgency that toppled Assad in a lightning 10-day march across the country to Damascus, appeared in a video message in which he congratulated "the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution".

Thousands of Syrians gathered at Umayyad Square in Damascus to celebrate after the first Friday prayers following the downfall of former president Bashar Assad.Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of insurgency that toppled Assad in a lightning 10-day march across the country to Damascus, appeared in a video message in which he congratulated "the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution".