on the region. hello, i'm carl nasman. welcome to this special hello, i'm carl nasman. half—hour programme on syria. welcome to this special we'll look at the experiences of people in the country half—hour programme on syria. and ask what the fall of bashar we'll look at the experiences al—assad's government means of people in the country for the middle east. and we'll consider what and ask what the fall of bashar the return of donald trump al—assad's government means for the middle east. to the white house means and we'll consider what for a syria witnessing the return of donald trump unprecedented change. to the white house means for a syria witnessing unprecedented change. first, look at what has really been an extraordinary until first, look at what has really last weekend unthinkable day been an extraordinary until across syria to mark the downfall of the former last weekend unthinkable day across syria to mark the president al—assad. take a look downfall of the former at these pictures. people president al—assad. take a look marking the end of more than 50 at these pictures. people years of his family's grip on the country. marking the end of more than 50 years of his family's grip on tens of thousands of syrians the country. have taken to the streets to celebrate their newfound freedoms. this was the scene in syria's tens of thousands of syrians third largest city, homs, 00:01:01,115 --> 2147483051:37:15,272 on what they are calling 2147483051:37:15,272 --> 4294966103:13:29,429 "victory friday," while this have taken to the streets

to celebrate their newfound freedoms.

the regime's collapse and liberation from assad's brutal security state are powering a sense of great optimism. for all the people here, this puts the seal on it — this is absolute proof that they have won and the regime has gone. just flying one of these black, white and green flags a couple of weeks ago could've got you arrested, jail time, or even a bullet. the fighters of hay�*at tahrir al—sham — hts — are still basking in their achievement. that white flag used by syrian islamist fighters was also behind the new prime minister in a broadcast. hts insists it has renounced its former extremist ideology. some syrians do not believe them. samir, overwhelmed, back from britain after 44 years,

is hoping for a tolerant future. it is our country, this is not al—assad country. he is gone now. i don't know how we are going to resolve it. he has been corrupting this country for 50 years but these are the people who are going to build the country, so wish us the luck — everyone in the world. and please, please, leave us alone. leave us alone, 0k? we appreciate your support but we don't want anyone to interfere with our decisions, what we are going to do. this is their decision. syria's future is full of challenges. hts is an islamist group. what will that mean for girls and women? how do syrians getjustice for the regime's crimes? they meant it when they called for assad's execution before the prayer. their new rulers told them to celebrate the blessed revolution, so they did. syrians understand that it won't be easy to overcome 50 years of dictatorship and 1a years of war, but this was a day

to seize and enjoy. thousands converged on umayyad square in thousands converged on umayyad square in the centre of damascus. it's as if an enormous weight it's as if an enormous weight has been lifted off a nation. has been lifted off a nation. i have never seen so many i have never seen so many smiling people in syria. we are free! smiling people in syria. we are feeling... we are free! we are free! ..the feelings of freedom! ..the feelings of freedom! we never feel like this. we never feel like this. i want all the world to see us! i want all the world to see us! we are free now. south, north — we are free! the fighters are the heroes the fighters are the heroes now, bringing their kids, now, bringing their kids, posing for photos posing for photos with other people. with other people. but when the party is over, but when the party is over, people need to eat in people need to eat in an economy smashed an economy smashed by war and corruption. by war and corruption. i asked this woman and her i asked this woman and her daughters what they need. daughters what they need. just needed freedom to do. just needed freedom to do. bo taxes, no stolen bo taxes, no stolen money taken from us. money taken from us. just we want to be independent. just we want to be independent. we want to be we want to be an independent people. an independent people. syria is an independent syria is an independent country. country.

nobody controls us. nobody controls us. nobody can rule us — just the syrians themselves. it's too soon for firm answers to syria's problems but the placards set an agenda — bring the assads to justice, civil rights for all, and syria is for every syrian, no matter who they are. jeremy bowen, bbc news, damascus. more now on exactly what has been taking place today in syria. joining me now is sarah hunaidi, a writerand human rights advocate who left syria ten years ago after receiving threats from the assad regime. we've been seeing these celebrations on the streets. just remarkable images. as a syrian, how do you feel? can you help us understand the emotions in the country today on what they are calling victory day?— on what they are calling victory day? on what they are calling victo da? , victory day? everyone is happy, includin: victory day? everyone is happy, including the — victory day? everyone is happy, including the loyalists _ victory day? everyone is happy, including the loyalists of - victory day? everyone is happy, including the loyalists of the - including the loyalists of the regime. it is really heartwarming to see that the same time, i cannot help but

feel a of emotions. i'm very happy because the impossible has happened. we have been gaslit by the world and even started recently to see normalisation efforts to the assad regime so our spirit was really low and

assad regime so our spirit was really ll whati assad regime so our spirit was really ll what daily life is now in syria what daily life is now like? how have things changed there since the assad regime fell? a, there since the assad regime fell? ~ ., ., ., , fell? a lot of the fear is broken- _ fell? a lot of the fear is broken. it _ fell? a lot of the fear is broken. it used - fell? a lot of the fear is broken. it used to - fell? a lot of the fear is broken. it used to be i fell? a lot of the fear is broken. it used to be a | fell? a lot of the fear is - broken. it used to be a police state, police everywhere. now, people feel like they have ownership of their street. people are cleaning the streets because they feel like this is finally our country and we also see people are cursing the regime because they finally came. we used to believe the walls have ears and now, the sky is the limit. people are daring to dream again of a democracy and of a sariah for all. so the sentiment in syria right now is very hopeful but there is chaos insuring of course, people still have a lot of unanswered questions but

overall, we feel that we can have a say in syria's future. speaking of unanswered questions, the main rebel group hts is an islamist group and it has former ties to al-qaeda and i know you consider yourself a feminist. how much does the ideology, then, of this main rebel group concern you? it is concerning — rebel group concern you? it is concerning but _ rebel group concern you? it is concerning but i _ rebel group concern you? it 3 concerning but i would give it back to you. no—one has cared about the feminism and women's body when a side was bombing us for the past 14 years. sorry, even, you know, his rule, the past 2a years. so right now, i feel like everybody is suddenly concerned about women's bodies. we do have a lot of challenges to work through as syrians and i do not trust hts as a feminist and as a woman but at the same time, i feel like the syrian community, we have been learning a lot in the past 14

years, even 30, since the revolution started. we are learning how to practise politics, we are learning how to accept each other, and so they have been trying to give off a lot of, you know, they've been telling everyone that we will respect the diversity of the syrian people.- i | the syrian people. right. i hoe the syrian people. right. i hone they _ the syrian people. right. i hope they follow - the syrian people. right. i hope they follow through l the syrian people. right. i. hope they follow through with out because if they don't, they will see a lot of resistance. looking ahead now and any people like yourself who have left the country and fled syria, do you expect them to now return home and do you think that syria is in a position right now to be able to welcome it?— position right now to be able to welcome it? yes. everybody is already _ to welcome it? yes. everybody is already returning _ to welcome it? yes. everybody is already returning home. - to welcome it? yes. everybody is already returning home. i i is already returning home. i cannot wait to go home, if only i have a passport, because i could not really renew my passport. syria is for syrians and the only one who has been standing between us and our

country has been the assad regime, so you can see a lot of footage of people going back. honestly, the neighbouring countries and the international community, we have been through so much. we have put ourselves in dangerous situations in order to cross the seas to a safe place and now that syria is promising and is a safe place, a lot of people are coming back and all of my friends who have been in syria's neighbouring countries who have now gotten passports are already on their way back and some of them have already made it back and i'm just waiting to see how i can renew my syrian passport. i'm glad i did not burn it because i always did! i want to go back, for sure. ., ., , ., ~ for sure. sarah ho needy, thank ou. for sure. sarah ho needy, thank yon thank _ for sure. sarah ho needy, thank you. thank you. _ —— hunaidi. the un says that after the fall of assad, the world is witnessing a re—shaping of the middle east. iran's influence in the region

is diminishing while turkey has announced it will re—open its embassy in damascus for the first time in more than a decade. the united states is calling for stability, saying it's working to prevent a resurgence of islamic state. and israel is still bombing parts of syria after seizing control of a demilitarised buffer zone in the occupied golan heights. it says it has destroyed the country's navy. earlier, i spoke to the american diplomat james jeffrey. he's been the ambassador to iraq and turkey and, most recently, an envoy in syria. ambassador, great to have you on the programme. there seems to be of course many different neighbours there in the region that are interested in trying to shape the future syria, the direction the country may be going in. is there a country you think may be actually able to wield some power and some influence over syria in the coming weeks and months? first, thanks for having _ coming weeks and months? first, thanks for having me _ coming weeks and months? first, thanks for having me on. - thanks for having me on. second, this is, before all of the mess that we will talk about, a great day for the

syrian people. it's a great day for regional stability as iran and russia real back. now, the country that exercises the most blatant of potential power is the united states. we have troops on the ground, we are very close partners to the turks, the israelis and the arab states and the other major outside players and, of course, the un, which has a formal role in trying to put all of this back together. so i would say the us remains the most important and influential player. important and influential -la er. ~ �* important and influential .la er. ~ �* , player. we saw, didn't we, this visit by the _ player. we saw, didn't we, this visit by the us _ player. we saw, didn't we, this visit by the us secretary - player. we saw, didn't we, this visit by the us secretary of - visit by the us secretary of state antony blinken to iraq, seemingly trying to get our partners on board, speaking with his turkish allies as well. is that the kind of coalition you think could wield some sort of influence in steering what blinken said he wants to see a democracy in syria. wants to see a democracy in s ria. ., ., syria. right, well, we have a whole series, _ syria. right, well, we have a whole series, first _ syria. right, well, we have a whole series, first of - syria. right, well, we have a whole series, first of all - syria. right, well, we have a whole series, first of all you | whole series, first of all you also have jake sullivan, the national security adviser, who was just in israel and national security adviser, who wasjust in israel and he is going on, pushing for a gaza

ceasefire because all of this is related. this is all a set of dominoes that was launched ijy of dominoes that was launched by hamas's attack on october seven. and the decisions made by the us, iran, israeland others since then. yeah, we're trying to put some kind of regional position on syria so we can speak with one voice. 0bviously, we can speak with one voice. obviously, it is aspirational, democracy. reconciliation, inclusive. but as bad as arok was in many ways, and is difficult situation is as iran has been trying to encroach on the iraqi institutions and system, iraq has much of that today. it is not messy but bosnia isn't very pretty either but they are both a hell of a lot better than yemen or libya or a lot of other places so we can hope for something like that with syria, i believe. you described _ that with syria, i believe. you described the _ that with syria, i believe. you described the region is really a set of dominoes. let's talk

about a few of those dominoes now. firstly, iran. it poured so many resources, didn't it, into syria? this was a crucial piece of its strategy in the region. what do you think this all means for iran and how do you think iran may respond? this you think iran may respond? as jake you think iran may respond? as jake sullivan said you think iran may respond? sis jake sullivan said in israel earlier today, this is a geostrategic game changer. there is a huge new situation emerging because iran, for 20 years, through its proxies, was advancing through the arab world. the sheer crescents, king abdul ofjordan koldyk, raqqa, syria, lebanon, yemen, gaza. —— called it. and most of these have collapsed. most importantly, us and has below, where iran put a lot of emphasis. iran's i'm offensive

offensive capability, missile systems, were seen to be ineffective against israel, effectively zero, and now syria has gone and i cannot overemphasise how important development this is for the region. this development this is for the reuion. �* , ., development this is for the reuion. a ., , ., region. as well of course also shares a _ region. as well of course also shares a border _ region. as well of course also shares a border with - region. as well of course also shares a border with syria - region. as well of course also | shares a border with syria and we know its troops are going to be staying through the winter inside of what is meant to be a buffer zone between the two nations. do you think that israel also sees this as a bit of an opportunity perhaps? it does. first of all, the destruction of the syrian air defence systems which the israelis finished off last couple of days gives them