After fall of Assad, will Syria get a new flag?

Syrians flooded the streets with celebratory gunfire on Sunday after a sudden rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family’s 50-year reign following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.

Cheerful crowds gathered in central Damascus, waving the Syrian revolutionary flag in scenes similar to that of the early days of the Arab Spring uprising before a violent crackdown and the rise of insurgency plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war.

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As Syrians woke to a transformed nation, rebel flags had replaced the posters of Assad, which once were displayed on nearly every corner. This shift could signal a major change, possibly marking the beginning of a new official flag for a country with a history of multiple flag changes.

The current Syrian flag

The current Syrian flag, featuring red, white, and black stripes with two green stars in the centre, has been in use since 1980.

In this flag, the red represents the bloodshed in Syria’s struggle for freedom, while white signifies a peaceful future. The black colour reflects the alleged oppression faced by Arabs, and the green stars symbolise Syria and Egypt, the founding states of the United Arab Republic, NDTV said in a report.

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Notably, the flag was first adopted in 1958 when Syria gained independence from European influence and joined Egypt to form the United Arab Republic. The flag underwent three changes between 1961 and 1980 before settling on its current design. However, with the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, this flag could soon be replaced.

The rebel flag

On Sunday, as rebels declared on Syria’s state television that the 50-year Assad family dynasty had been overthrown, green-white-black-red opposition flags were seen flying across the country.

Celebrations also erupted in Germany, Turkey, and Greece, where thousands of jubilant crowds waved the Syrian opposition flag.

Supporters of the rebels stormed the Syrian embassy in Athens and raised the opposition flag from the rooftop. While police detained four individuals, they allowed the flag to remain flying, Reuters said in a report.

The rebel flag, though similar to the current Syrian flag, features green at the top, white in the middle, and black at the bottom, with three red stars in the centre.

Notably, the flag is a revised version of the independence flag first used in 1932 when Syria gained independence from France. The Syrian opposition has adopted it to symbolise their desire for freedom from the Assad regime.

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What happened in Syria?

Thousands of Syrians took to the streets, celebrating with gunfire and waving the revolutionary flag to mark the end of nearly 14 years of civil war, which had been triggered by a brutal crackdown and insurgency against the Assad regime.

Soldiers and police deserted their posts, while looters raided the Defence Ministry. Other parts of Damascus were empty, with shops closed and streets empty.

Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, Assad’s key allies, withdrew their support as they faced challenges from other conflicts. Iran, weakened by ongoing clashes with Israel, issued a statement saying Syrians should determine their future “without destructive, coercive, foreign intervention.” The Iranian Embassy in Damascus was abandoned and later ransacked.

US President Joe Biden stated that Syria is in a period of uncertainty, noting that it was the first time in years that neither Russia, Iran, nor Hezbollah had held an influential role in the country.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali announced that the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and transfer power to a transitional government. Opposition media showed footage of armed men escorting him from his office to a hotel.

With a curfew imposed by the rebels, the few people seen in Damascus were rebels in fatigues, many of whom had arrived from the northwestern province of Idlib, where the offensive had begun 12 days prior.

The civil war, which began in 2011 as an uprising against Assad, had devastated the country, with Assad’s forces and Russian allies bombing cities into ruins. The refugee crisis created by the conflict, with millions fleeing Syria, became one of the largest in modern history and led to a huge political crisis in Europe, particularly after a million refugees arrived in 2015.

Where is Bashar al-Assad?

Russian state media confirmed that Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow, where he was granted asylum “out of humanitarian considerations.” This ended speculation about his whereabouts after the rebel forces took control of Damascus.

Following the collapse of Assad’s regime, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of the Islamist alliance that led the offensive, said in a televised statement, “We continue to work with determination to achieve the goals of our revolution… We are determined to complete the path we started in 2011.”

Russia, a long-time ally of Assad with two critical military bases in Syria, had intervened to support his regime. However, it was unable to prevent the rapid collapse of his government, as the offensive exploited the distractions of Iran and Hezbollah, Assad’s regional supporters.

With inputs from agencies