For the first time since the fall of Assad's regime, Syrian Christians attended Christmas services.

This is reported by Reuters.

Worship services were conducted under heightened security due to concerns about violence against Christian sites.

Hours before the service, hundreds of protesters gathered in Damascus to condemn the incident in which a Christmas tree was burned in the northern rural area of Hama governorate in western central Syria.

They carried wooden crosses and chanted: “We are your warriors, Jesus,” “With blood and soul, we sacrifice for Jesus,” and “The Syrian people are one.”

Recall that the first Christian worship services in Syria after Assad's flight took place on December 15. Lina Akhras, the secretary of the parish council of St. George's Orthodox Cathedral in Latakia, admitted to reporters that Christians felt comfortable under Assad's rule regarding freedom of religion. After the change of power, they began to have concerns.

Shia Muslims also felt fear. The Assad family belongs to the Alawite community—a branch of Shia Islam—while the majority of the population in Syria are Sunni Muslims. Tens of thousands of Shia fled Syria to Lebanon out of fear of persecution.

Rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, previously associated with the "Al-Qaeda" group, promised in an interview with CNN that Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities would be able to live safely under the rule of "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham."