On Sunday, Syrians will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the anti-Assad uprising, which ended in 2024, ending President Bashar al-Assad's rule. The uprising began in March 2011 after protests were held in Deraa, Damascus, and Aleppo, following the arrest and torture of teenage boys who were painting anti-Al-Assad graffiti. The country fell into a war which saw hundreds of thousands killed and millions displaced. In December 2024, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group removed al-President, who fled to Russia. Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the HTS, is now the country’s president and has led the effort to rebuild a battered state. Despite this, security remains tenuous, with some areas safer than others, but concerns remain about the presence of ISIL (ISIS) fighters in parts of the country. The Syrian government has been trying to establish control over the state after 14 years of war, including controlling the coast and controlling much of the northeastern northeastern Syria.