Syria's new authorities launched an operation in a stronghold of ousted president Bashar al-Assad on Thursday, with a war monitor saying three gunmen affiliated with the former government were killed.

After Hafez’s passing in the summer of 2000, we clung to the hope that the torch he left behind would fall into more compassionate hands. After all, his heir, Bashar al-Assad, was a doctor trained in ophthalmology in London — the birthplace of the Spice Girls! How bad could he be?

The fall of President Bashar Al Assad's government in Syria is said to have an impact on countries in the world, one of which is Indonesia.

Syria's new authorities torched a large stockpile of drugs on Wednesday, two security officials told AFP, including one million pills of captagon, whose industrial-scale production flourished under ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

While the victory against Bashar Assad’s forces is a triumph, the jihadist-turned-statesman who is now in charge has a lengthy to-do list.

A lightning rebel offensive early this month caught Syria’s ruling clan off guard. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia on December 8, leaving behind many of his collaborators, some of whom sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

Syria's new leaders target Assad loyalists in Tartus, as they strive to bring justice and stability to the country.

The rebels capturing Damascus marked a turning point for Syria, which had been shattered by more than 13 years of war which turned cities to rubble, killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions to flee abroad as refugees.

Asma al-Assad reportedly fled to Moscow weeks before her husband to receive cancer treatment, before the Syrian regime fell earlier this month.