Bombay Durpun - Jubilant Syrians take to streets to celebrate Assad overthrow

More than half a century of brutal rule by the Assad clan came to a sudden end on Sunday, after a lightning rebel offensive swept across the country and took the capital.

Ousted president Bashar al-Assad fled Syria, closing an era in which suspected dissidents were jailed or killed, and capping nearly 14 years of war that killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which spearheaded the offensive, called on Syrians "to go to the streets to express their joy" on Friday to mark "the victory of the blessed revolution".

Interim prime minister Mohammed al-Bashir addressed a large congregation at Damascus's landmark Umayyad Mosque on the Muslim day of prayer and rest.

Thousands flocked to the mosque -- a sight unimaginable just days ago -- some raising the three-star Syrian independence flag which none dared raise during Assad's iron-fisted rule.

Exhilarated crowds chanted "one, one, one, the Syrian people is one!"

"We are gathering because we're happy Syria has been freed, we're happy to have been liberated from the prison in which we lived," said Nour Thi al-Ghina, 38, from Damascus.

"This is the first time we have converged in such big numbers and the first time we witness such an event," she said, beaming with joy.

Omar al-Khaled, 23, echoed her comments. "Our morale is very high and we hope that Syria will head towards a better future," he said.

Several hundred people gathered in a festive and relaxed atmosphere in the main square of Syria's second city Aleppo, a scene of fierce fighting during the country's long civil war, AFP correspondents reported.

A huge billboard depicting Assad and his father Hafez was set on fire.

"The Assad father and son oppressed us, but we have liberated our country from injustice," a white-bearded policeman at the scene said.

Another policeman, Alaa al Imafi, 32, held up a red rose that a little girl gave him.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am," he said.

In the southern city of Sweida, the heartland of Syria's Druze minority where anti-government demonstrations have been held for more than a year, hundreds took to the streets, singing and clapping in jubilation.

"Our joy is indescribable," said Haitham Hudeifa, 54. "Every province is celebrating this great victory."

- Desperate searches -

Sunni Muslim HTS is rooted in Syria's branch of Al-Qaeda and designated a terrorist organisation by many Western governments, who now face the challenge of how to approach the country's new leadership.

The group has sought to moderate its rhetoric, and the interim government insists the rights of all Syrians will be protected -- as will the rule of law.

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries, who will meet virtually at 1430 GMT on Friday, said they were ready to support the transition to an "inclusive and non-sectarian" government in Syria.

They called for the protection of human rights, including those of women and minorities, while emphasising "the importance of holding the Assad regime accountable for its crimes".

Inside much of Syria, the focus for now is on unravelling the secrets of Assad's rule, and particularly the network of detention centres and suspected torture sites scattered across areas previously under government control.

Syrians have flooded to prisons, hospitals and morgues in search of long-disappeared loved ones, hoping for a miracle, or at least closure.

"I turned the world upside down looking," Abu Mohammed told AFP as he searched for news of three missing relatives at the Mazzeh airbase in Damascus.

"But I didn't find anything at all. We just want a hint of where they were, one percent."

- Israel ready to stay in buffer zone -

Assad was propped up by Russia -- where a senior Russian official told US media he has fled -- as well as Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group.

The rebels launched their offensive on November 27, the same day a ceasefire took effect in the Israel-Hezbollah war, which saw Israel inflict staggering losses on Assad's Lebanese ally.

Both Israel and Turkey, which backs some of the rebels who ousted Assad, have since carried out strikes inside Syria.

Speaking on Thursday in Jordan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of "not sparking any additional conflicts" after mentioning both Israeli and Turkish military activity in Syria.

Washington hopes to ensure that Syria is not "used as a base for terrorism" and does not pose "a threat to its neighbours", added Blinken, whose country has hundreds of troops in Syria as part of a coalition against Islamic State group jihadists.

In Ankara on Friday, Blinken told Turkey it was "imperative" to work against a resurgence of the Islamic State group in Syria.

Hours after Assad's ouster, Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, in a move the UN said violated a 1974 armistice.

In the face of widespread international criticism over the move, Israel says it seized the buffer zone to defend itself.

Israeli troops have been ordered to "prepare to remain" in the buffer zone throughout the winter, Defence Minister Israel Katz's office said on Friday.

The Israeli military has also carried out hundreds of air and naval strikes against Syrian military assets, targeting everything from chemical weapons stores to air defences to prevent them from falling into rebel hands.

On Friday, the European Union announced the launch of an "air bridge" operation to deliver an initial 50 tonnes of health supplies to Syria via neighbouring Turkey.

M.T.Johanson--BD