The transfer marks the end of an era when Russia played an arguably oversized role in determining which countries could operate in Syria’s contested airspace.

Thousands took to the streets in several parts of the war-torn Syria on Wednesday following the circulation of a video purportedly showing an attack on an Alawite shrine in the country’s north, a war monitor reported.

Russia’s scorched-earth intervention on behalf of former Syrian President Bashar Assad once turned the tide of the Syrian civil war.

The toppling of Bashar Assad has raised tentative hopes that Syrians might live peacefully and as equals after a half century of authoritarian rule.

Russia has begun withdrawing a large amount of military equipment and troops from Syria following the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, according to two US officials and a western official familiar with the intelligence.

The drive winds between manicured lavender-lined lawns to a crescent-shaped home with a gleaming swimming pool on the Syrian coast: Bashar al-Assad's holiday hideaway disgusts those who now come here.

Ahmed al-Shara stressed diplomacy in an interview but criticized Israel’s advance into Syrian territory. A statement said to be from Bashar al-Assad, the ousted leader, defended his decision to leave for Russia.

Across Syria, soldiers tied to the former Assad regime are surrendering their weapons to the interim government. The New York Times spoke to some of these men in Latakia, as they face a new and uncertain future as civilians.

Syria's main ports are working normally after days of disruptions, maritime officials said on Monday, and Ukraine said it was in touch with the interim government about delivering staple foods.

Russia's bases in Syria are an integral part of its global military presence. The Tartous naval base is Russia's only Mediterranean repair and resupply hub, and the Latakia air base a major staging post for military and mercenary activity in Africa.

In the Assad clan's former heartland of Latakia, many in the toppled president's Alawite minority are relieved that his iron-clad rule has come to an end.- 'Stealing from us' - After the rebel takeover,