Members of Bashar Assad's army, or a pro-government militia, gather to be registered with Syrian rebels as part of an "identification and reconciliation process" in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 21, 2024. (Photo: AP)
Russia's Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, in charge of Russian troops for radioactive, chemical and biological protection, speaks at a briefing in Moscow. (Photo: AFP)
A man walks past a portrait of late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad displayed at the main entrance of a building in the capital Damascus on Dec. 9. (Photo: AFP)