Syrians in UK hopeful of bright future for their homeland

It's been a momentous few weeks for Syria, the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government bringing to an end 61 years of Ba'athist rule.

Events have been closely followed by thousands of Syrians living in the UK, many of whom came to Britain during the 13-year-long civil war.

Dr Fatima Abbas is one of the 30,000 Syrians who've made the UK their home having arrived in 2022. She told CGTN she watched in amazement as the only Syrian government she's ever known collapsed in less than a month.

"I remember I had a chat with my colleagues at work three days before and I didn't give it a lot of attention because I didn't believe it was a big thing," she said.

"Then when they took Aleppo I said 'Ah, this is something!' – I was then 24 hours a day on the TV watching news. We didn't believe this day would ever come."

Abbas has claimed asylum in Britain, although her application is currently in limbo after the UK Home Office paused all Syrian asylum claims while the government assesses the current situation in Syria.

Families reunited

Following the fall of Damascus to rebel forces, many Syrians in the UK, like activist Raya Homsi, have been trying to find out about loved ones back home.

"I couldn't see my family since I left, apart from a very quick visit to Lebanon in 2017," she told CGTN. "But I couldn't go back to the country, times were very tough for my parents and I really wanted to be with them but I was not able to do that.

"My dad for example had a heart operation and it was a very serious one and I just wanted to be by his side. There were these moments where you don't know if you're going to see him again – but thankfully he's ok and I can't wait to see them."

What next for Syria?

In recent weeks much of the world's focus has been on the rebel group that helped oust the Syrian government - Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and in particular their leader Ahmad al-Sharaa - formerly known as Mohammed al-Golani

Previously a jihadist with links to Al Qaeda, Syria's de facto leader has been trying show a more moderate side. However, Syrians in the UK like refugee Mayas Alcharani say the proof of his motives will in his action rather than his words.

Speaking to CGTN via Zoom, Alcharani said: "It's early to judge, we have hope but we need to be cautious, we need to be critical about anything we hear and we see until we find the right process."

The Syrian civil war forced millions to flee the country and seek asylum in places like the UK.

While some are already dreaming of returning back to Syria for good, others are just looking forward to being reunited with relatives they haven't seen in person for 13 years.

All of them are hopeful Syrians can put years of conflict behind them and look forward to a more positive future.