Five decades of authoritarian Assad family rule in Syria have ended with the president fleeing the capital before it fell to rebels without resistance. His former international backer, Russia, says he's left the country.

In this special edition of Newshour focusing on events in Syria, we ask what's next for a country that's been torn apart by civil war forcing millions of people to flee? Will there be an orderly transition of power to the rebels ? Why did the regime collapse so suddenly ? We'll hear from supporters and critics of the Assad government. And from the Red Cross in a chaotic Damascus - what the future is for the hundreds of thousands tortured and detained under Assad's murderous rule.

(Photo: People celebrate after Syrian rebels announced they've ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Beirut, Lebanon December 8, 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Ahmad Al-Kerdi)