This account of al-Assad’s fall, much of which has not been previously reported, is based on interviews with Syrian, Iranian, Iraqi and Turkish officials; Damascus-based diplomats; associates of al-Assad; and rebels who participated in his ouster. Read more here.

Nearly a million Syrians in Germany alone have made new lives. But after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, some politicians across the continent have suggested that refugees could return home.

A leading member of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) on Wednesday said demands from opposition conservatives for Syrian refugees to return home following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime were irresponsible.

Judicial authorities in France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands have initiated proceedings against agents and senior officials of the former government, some of which have resulted in convictions.

Assad, Germany faces a heated debate on the future of nearly one million Syrian refugees. Politicians are divided, with some calling for immediate returns while others stress the need for caution. What does the future hold for Syrians in Germany?

BERLIN - It took only a few hours after the fall of Bashar al-Assad for some German politicians to begin suggesting it was time for Germany's million Syrians – many of them refugees from the 2015 war – to consider returning home.

BERLIN - Germany plans talks with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, joining the United States and Britain in establishing contact with the Islamist group after it led the overthrow of Syria's Bashar al-Assad.

German ministers on Sunday said supporters of fallen president Bashar al-Assad's government would face justice in Germany if they fled to the country after the toppling of the Syrian strongman.

Chancellor Scholz says Berlin encouraged by signals from Damascus but emphasizes concrete steps toward inclusive government, rule of law, protection of minorities - Anadolu Ajansı

European countries rapidly froze asylum claims after Assad's fall but Syrian refugees may have reason not to rush home

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday said that well-integrated Syrian refugees are welcome to stay, as far-right and conservative politicians called for them to return to their home country after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

The Continent looks to repatriate refugees, but Syria hasn’t been liberated so much as overrun.