The surprise toppling of the murderous Assad regime in December by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its coalition of armed rebels was met with a mixture of joy, disbelief and anxiety by ordinary Syrians.
Since then, the new interim government, led by HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, has promised to unite a divided country and steer Syria towards an inclusive political future. In February, hundreds of Syrians gathered at a hastily organized two-day national dialogue conference in Damascus to set out a roadmap for this historic transition.
