‘No one slept in Syria last night’ – how did the news of Assad’s fall spread?

Residents of Damascus reported that they were anxiously awaiting news of what was happening in the Syrian capital overnight.

After several hours of reports of rebels closing in, forces declared Damascus “liberated” from longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in the early hours of Sunday.

Unverified videos circulating on social media showed people cheering in the streets and welcoming rebel fighters, as well as prisoners being freed from the notorious Saydnaya prison.

“No one slept in Syria last night… no Syrians abroad slept,” said Rania Kataf, who runs the Humans of Damascus Facebook page.

“The entire community was holding their phones waiting for the final news.

“How do I feel? Overwhelmed.. We all feel like we’ve been underwater for literally, thirteen years, and we’ve all just taken a breath.

“And I know there are a lot of people much older than me who have been through a lot.”

She said she has been feeling “mixed emotions” since rebel groups began the offensive, but is no longer afraid.

She said, in the past she was “afraid to share an opinion, even to heart someone in the opposition, I was so afraid.”

“For the first time, there is a true feeling of freedom,” another resident of Damascus, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the BBC.

He described celebrations in the streets and in Umayyad Square, a landmark in the center of Damascus, and home to key government agencies including the Defense Ministry and the Syrian Armed Forces.

“In the central Umayyad Square, people are celebrating very peacefully. They are setting off fireworks. Yes, we hear some gunshots, but it’s mostly fireworks,” the resident said.

“What we are feeling is exactly what we felt during the revolution that started in 2011. It is a continuation of the dream that started that year.”

He said Syrians feel afraid and worried about the future, but “today, all Syrians will only celebrate.”

Additional reporting by Vietske Burema