DAMASCUS, SYRIA - JANUARY 18: Members of the White Helmets, also known as Syrian Civil Defence, celebrate the end of the Assad government on January 18, 2025 in Damascus, Syria. The White Helmets are a volunteer organization that operated in Turkey and in the then-opposition-controlled parts of Syria before the fall of the Assad regime. They rescued thousands of injured Syrians after bombings by the Assad-led military and became famous throughout the world for their dedication and bravery. Following the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad by opposition groups in a quick offensive on December 8, the country is looking to gain economic momentum after years of global sanctions on the Assad-led government. Arab and Western countries have been reopening diplomatic relations with Syria's new de facto authorities, headed by the Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. Fourteen years of war have left the Syrian economy damaged, with tens of thousands of residents living on or below the poverty line. The World Food Program estimates that 13.1 million Syrians do not have enough to eat. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)