A new chapter? There is still a sense of stunned disbelief that, after 53 years of life under Assad rule – the ousted leader’s father Hafez al-Assad took power in 1971 – Syria is beginning a new chapter. Many never dared to believe this moment would ever come.
“We are now the happiest country in the world,” one man told me.
While the curfew in Damascus lent a muted air to the city, on the Lebanese side of the border there were scenes of jubilation as Syrians gathered to celebrate Assad’s ouster, setting off fireworks and handing out sweets, waving the flag of the Syrian uprising.
“This means there is finally freedom,” one many shouted, “Allahu Akbar!” (God is the greatest).
Watch the video below as CNN drives through the empty border post and into Damascus.