Syrian armed opposition captured the capital of Damascus on Sunday. Russian officials said that President Bashar Assad had stepped down after negotiations with participants of the Syrian conflict, and left Syria for Russia where he was granted asylum. Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran an Idlib-based administration formed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other opposition groups, was named interim prime minister on Tuesday.
"Everything is relatively fine in Damascus. There is no panic. I haven’t seen any people wishing to leave the capital. Where should we go if we have our homes here, our work? Nobody is waiting for us abroad, no one, except us Syrians, will build new Syria. For the past 15 years, we have learned to live in stress. It has become the norm. Those who want to leave Syria can use the nearest airport in neighboring Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. But those who wanted to leave, did it long ago, before the escalation," Hassan said.
Some shops and cafes are open in Damascus, although there are not as many customers and the traffic is less intense, the resident said, adding that people in the cafes are mostly discussing the future of Syria and the elections of new leadership.
Hassan also said that many Syrians do not see their future without Russia.
"Many countries - Turkey, Iran, Israel and others - are interested in the construction of a new Syria and its formation. But Russia cannot be excluded from this list. If that happens, there will be no peace here," Hassan said.
Russia has been helping and supporting Syria for many years, has always been Syria's friend and partner, and has never deceived Syria or used it as a means to influence the entire Middle East, Hassan added.