From CNN, I'm Charlie Drever with the five things you need to know for Monday, December 9th.

Syrians have been rejoicing in the streets after rebel forces took control of the country's capital

and forced its president Bashir al-Assad to resign and flee to Russia.

The leader of the main group behind the uprising declared total victory in Damascus yesterday.

This victory, my brothers, is a victory for the entire Islamic nation.

A CNN team heard strikes in the city this morning, but it's not clear who was behind them,

as the country looks ahead to a new, uncertain future.

CNN's Clarissa Ward is in Damascus.

Keep in mind, we're talking about 53 years of Assad rule, 53 years of a brutal police

state. And I can't tell you how many Syrians have said to me,

we understand that there are concerns about the rebels

and the makeup of the rebels.

But let us have this moment.

Let us celebrate the fact that this brutal dictator,

who has ruthlessly killed hundreds of thousands of people, who has gassed children with

lethal nerve agents, who has locked people in prisons and tortured and beaten them to death,

that he is finally gone. And then whatever may come, and whatever the anxiety, this is a new

chapter for Syria.

President Joe Biden welcomed the news of the Assad regime falling and offered a blueprint

for how the U.S. plans to support the region.

It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better

future for their proud country.

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