Welcome to the News Hour.

Barely a week after President Bashad al-Assad fled the country he destroyed, Syrians across the nation welcomed the first Friday prayers of the new Syria today.

There are many unanswered questions about this new Syria, but one thing is for certain, as Syrians return to their homes from displacement within Syria or abroad, from the southern

reaches of the nation to the ancient city of Aleppo in the north, there is unfettered jubilation.

And special correspondent Lela Mulana Allen joins us now from Aleppo.

Layla, you were in homes in Aleppo today for the first Friday prayer since Assad fell.

What did you hear from the people you encountered?

It was quite astounding to be out on the streets and see the level of celebration, because, of course,

the people who are out celebrating in both these cities are those who've been living in regime

health territory and those who've

come home since they fell. Aleppo was the first major city that HTS and the rebels took a week ago now,

and it was an extraordinary fall very fast. The first couple of days were very difficult because the Russians were

bombing here, but that then stopped, and now, there's a sense of huge freedom and optimism.

And of course, Friday prayer is so important.

It brings many people together, and many of the rebels, the vast majority, were Sunni Muslims.

So they have been going to the mosque to give thanks, waving revolutionary free flags.

In Homs, there were HGF fighters wandering around, shaking hands with people, lifting up

children, taking photographs, taking selfies with everyone.

They were taking selfies with Western reporters.

So it was really a sense of anything goes.

And this is the first Friday prayer of a new Free Syria.

And as you mentioned, people are just now returning to homes that they fled years ago.

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