Сирийские христиане впервые после свержения режима Асада смогли посетить рождественские службы.

This is reported by Reuters.

Worship services were held under heightened security due to concerns about violence against Christian sites.

Just hours before the service, hundreds of protesters gathered in Damascus to condemn the incident in which a Christmas tree was burned in the northern rural area of Hama province in western central Syria.

They carried wooden crosses and chanted: “We are your warriors, Jesus,” “With blood and soul, we sacrifice for Jesus,” and “The Syrian people are united.”

Recall that the first Christian services in Syria after Assad's flight took place on December 15. Lina Akhras, secretary of the parish council of St. George's Orthodox Cathedral in Latakia, admitted to reporters that Christians felt comfortable under Assad's rule in terms of religious freedom. After the change of power, they became concerned.

Shia Muslims also felt fear. The Assad family belongs to the Alawite community—a branch of Shia Islam—while the majority of the population in Syria are Sunni Muslims. Tens of thousands of Shia have fled Syria to Lebanon due to fears of persecution.

Rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly associated with the “Al-Qaeda” group, promised in an interview with CNN that Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities would be able to live safely under the rule of “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.”