Thousands of Syrians celebrated in Umayyad Square, the largest in Damascus, after the first Muslim Friday prayers following the downfall of former President Bashar Assad. The leader of insurgency that toppled Assad, Ahmad al-Sharaa, appeared in a video message in which he congratulated “the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution.” In the Turkish capital, Ankara, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the United States on what they would like to see in Syria, calling for an “inclusive and non-sectarian" interim government.
