The Syrian National Symphony Orchestra performs for the first time since the fall of the regime, entitled: For the Martyrs and for the Glory of Syria, at the Damascus Opera House on January 30, 2025, in the presence of a number of diplomats and ambassadors and a large audience. On November 27, the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alliance led a major offensive snatching Syria's second city Aleppo and dozens of towns and villages from government control, after years of regime gains in successive Russian-backed military campaigns. (Photo by Maher AL MOUNES / AFP) (Photo by MAHER AL MOUNES/AFP via Getty Images)