Massive U.S. airstrikes on Islamic State militants in Syria are meant partly as a message to the group and a move to ensure that the insurgents don’t try to take advantage of the chaos following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad’s government.

For the first time in 50 years, the question of how Syria will be governed is wide open.

Israeli strikes have hit suspected chemical and long-range weapons sites in Syria and the foreign minister says the aim is to keep them from rebels who seized Damascus.

Syrians poured into the streets in celebration after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule.

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader who led the stunning insurgency that toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image and that of his fighters.

Russia media say ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad has fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally.

Syria’s government appears to have fallen after opposition fighters say they entered Damascus following a stunning advance.

The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days.

One of the darkest moments in the modern history of the Arab world happened more than four decades ago, when then-Syrian President Hafez Assad launched what came to be known as the Hama Massacre.

Over the past dozen years, Syrian militant leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has worked to remake his image and the insurgency he commands.

Syria’s long civil war has reclaimed global attention after insurgents seized most of its largest city and dozens of nearby towns and villages.

The 13-year civil war in Syria has roared back into prominence with rebels' surprise capture of Aleppo, one of the country’s largest cities and an ancient hub of Middle East culture and commerce.