Syrian and Lebanese residents of Tripoli unfurl the flag of the Syrian revolution in al-Nour Square, the day after the fall of the Assad regime, Dec. 9, 2024. (Credit: Raphaël Abdelnour/OLJ)
"Wait, take the photo again!" a man smiles brightly in front of the iconic ‘Allah’ monument in Tripoli’s al-Nour Square and waves a flag with the three red stars — the flag of the Syrian revolution that, less than 24 hours before that, brought down Bashar al-Assad’s government after 13 years of Civil War. In the main square of Lebanon's biggest northern city, a group of men exchange smiles and incredulous glances chanting "Free Syria!" Men in their twenties, Syrians from Raqqa and Idlib, “Except me! I’m from Deir Ammar, just nearby,” said one of them. “Interview me — it shows that Lebanese stand united with them!” “My name is Rashid Haybeh, and I’m just as happy as they are. They’re not strangers or refugees — they’re brothers. What divided people here were Assad’s militias and those of Iran,” he said, holding the flag up. “Tripoli is a...
"Wait, take the photo again!" a man smiles brightly in front of the iconic ‘Allah’ monument in Tripoli’s al-Nour Square and waves a flag with the three red stars — the flag of the Syrian revolution that, less than 24 hours before that, brought down Bashar al-Assad’s government after 13 years of Civil War. In the main square of Lebanon's biggest northern city, a group of men exchange smiles and incredulous glances chanting "Free Syria!" Men in their twenties, Syrians from Raqqa and Idlib, “Except me! I’m from Deir Ammar, just nearby,” said one of them. “Interview me — it shows that Lebanese stand united with them!” “My name is Rashid Haybeh, and I’m just as happy as they are. They’re not strangers or refugees — they’re brothers. What divided people here were Assad’s militias and those of Iran,” he said,...