A view from the first city taken by the rebels who ousted President Bashar al-Assad, scene of a brutal Russian-backed 2012-2016 siege.

Inside a stunning week across Syria following the overthrow of the Assad regime - FIRST PERSON: Bel Trew spent days travelling across Syria – from Aleppo in the north, to the capital Damascus and Deraa in the south – charting a nation coming to terms with the ends of decades of brutal rule by the Assads.

While many people welcome the departure of the tyrant, this does not erase the years of violence during which the regime strove to pit one community against another.

Syrian and Russian forces battled to bring Syria's second city of Aleppo under Assad's full control for years, unleashing widespread devastation.View on euronews

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to the territory held by the rebel alliance that ousted Bashar al-Assad. The alliance holds much of Syria’s northwest,

Rebel fighters who took control of Aleppo about two weeks ago have promised security and continuity. Prices have skyrocketed, but residents express some hope for the future.

The Syrian regime’s collapse came more quickly than the rebels had dreamed — the circumstances were both serendipitous and part of a larger global realignment.

The historic Baron Hotel in Syria’s Aleppo is dilapidated and damaged by years of war but still standing and ready for a revival, much like the

Syria’s Christians now join those in Lebanon and Palestinian ... Hilda Haskour, a 50-year-old Aleppo resident who identifies as Syriac Catholic, is preparing to celebrate Christmas but says there’s still worry among Christians.

The battle for Aleppo fractured the city along social and economic lines. Whether people here can live together again will help decide the fate of a new Syria.

And so, during the war, the Mediterranean became a graveyard, and Syrians who had already lived through bombardment watched as their family, their friends and their neighbors drowned. A photo of a little boy, Aylan Kurdi, emerged, his body lying face down on the shores of Turkey. The conscience of the world was briefly stirred.

Concerns are mounting that President-elect Trump could face an ISIS resurgence in Syria as Turkey-backed forces hit U.S.-allied SDF troops in a move that could divide the coalitions abilities to fight ISIS.