Recent events serve as a stark reminder of Syria’s decades-long suffering. We witnessed pivotal moments firsthand:

Bashar al-Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad’s funeral, a far cry from his son’s recent departure. Hafez ruled Syria for 30 years with an iron fist, brutally stabilizing the nation and suppressing Islamist rebels, resulting in the deaths of up to 40,000 people in Hama.

His state funeral, attended by then-Secretary of State Madeline Albright, was meticulously orchestrated, with mourners proclaiming his widespread popularity. My report noted his enduring legacy, both positive and negative. Ironically, his mausoleum and grave were later destroyed by rebels.

Eleven years later, the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings reached Syria. The regime’s response escalated from police action against peaceful protestors to military bombardments and the imprisonment and torture of dissidents.

In 2012, as one of the few Western media teams present, we observed the devastation in Homs, a city later easily captured by rebels. My on-camera report described a nation at war with itself.

We traversed the battered streets where Marie Colvin, a journalist for the London Times, had been killed. We narrowly avoided airstrikes, faced harassment at a militia checkpoint, and witnessed widespread violence, including attacks on a state TV station and a busy intersection in Damascus.

In an exclusive interview with Bashar al-Assad and a former official, we questioned him about the turmoil. The interview took place in his vast palace, later overrun by rebels and civilians (though we learned he primarily resided in a Damascus apartment).

We were struck by Assad’s calm demeanor, despite leading a brutal regime. He admitted to possessing chemical weapons but denied using them, despite a recent attack resulting in over a thousand deaths. He attributed the uprising to Al-Qaeda influence, a claim we challenged, questioning whether the government’s harsh response fueled the conflict. We also inquired about his failure to pursue reform after his father’s death. He simply retorted, “I’m still a reformer,” as gunfire echoed outside the palace.

A year later, on the Syria-Turkey border, we witnessed ISIS battling Kurdish militia amidst U.S. airstrikes on Kobani. The Kurdish victory, aided by the U.S., marked a turning point. The war had become globalized, with ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and other jihadist groups vying for control. The Assad regime’s survival depended on support from Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah. When these allies were weakened, rebels seized the opportunity, liberating the country and overthrowing the Assad regime.

A recent contact in Syria described the situation as an extraordinary moment, with celebrations and the search for those imprisoned and tortured. However, he cautioned about the future, noting the HTS group’s past ties to Al-Qaeda and the various factions that must cooperate to build a new Syria. A monumental task, but one worth pursuing for the Syrian people.