Syrian Christians attend Christmas mass for first time since fall of Assad


Christians attend a Christmas mass at the Lady of Damascus church, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 24, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian Christians attended Christmas Eve services on Tuesday for the first time since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in early December, in an early test of the new Islamist rulers' pledges to protect the rights of the country's religious minorities.

The service was held amid tight security due to concerns of violence against Christian sites, with several pickup cars belonging to the now ruling Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) parked around the church.

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