Residents in Damascus have told of an anxious wait for news on what was happening in Syria's capital city overnight.
After several hours of reports of rebels getting closer and closer, the forces declared Damascus "free" of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in the early hours of Sunday.
Unverified videos circulating on social media show people cheering in the streets and welcoming the rebel fighters, as well as inmates being freed from the notorious Saydnaya prison.
"No-one slept in Syria last night... no Syrian abroad slept," Rania Kataf, who runs the Humans of Damascus Facebook page, said.
"The whole community was holding their phones waiting for the final news.
"How do I feel? Overwhelmed.. We all feel like we've been under water, literally, for thirteen years, and we all just took a breath.
"And I know that there are so many people who are much older than me who have been through too much."
She said she had "mixed feelings" since the offensive by rebel groups began, but that she was no longer afraid.
In the past, she said, she had been "scared of sharing an opinion I was so scared of even putting a like, putting a heart on someone from the opposition."
Danny Makki, a journalist living in Damascus, described the scenes on Sunday morning in Umayyad Square, which is home to key government agencies, including the Ministry of Defence and the Syrian Armed Forces.
"People were firing guns into the air, people were dancing, taking photos and crying," he said.
"I spoke to soldiers from the militia. One said he had been preparing for this for a long time.
"He wasn't taking part in the offensive in Aleppo, but when he saw the rebels arrive on the outskirts of Damascus, that's when he took up arms."
He said some of the rebel fighters were using abandoned Syrian army vehicles.
"When I was driving around Damascus, I saw the Syrian army walking in civilian clothes on the road, not knowing where to go."
Although there are celebrations, he said peoples' immediate concern was security, and "making sure there is no infighting within the opposition ranks."
