Syrian President Bashar Assad's ouster has ended Iran's 40-year dominance and quest for hegemony in the region, further weakened his allies in Lebanon and created a new opportunity for establishing normal relations.

During a visit this week to one of Beirut's top hotels, Daraj reporters noticed a clear presence of a several wealthy Syrians whose names are not yet known. It was evident that they were residing at the hotel with their families,

Sammy Ketz & Maher al MounesA lightning rebel offensive early this month caught Syria's ruling clan off guard. President Bashar al Assad fled

Ministers from Jordan and Qatar were among the first high-ranking Arab diplomats to meet with the leader of the rebel coalition that toppled the Syrian regime.

Hezbollah was dealt a major blow during 14 months of war with Israel. The toppling of Assad, who had strong ties to Iran, has now crippled its ability to bounce back by cutting off a vital weapons-smuggling route through Syria.

Lebanon's General Security apparatus met with Syria's new rulers earlier this week to discuss new border arrangements between the neighbouring countries.

With a ceasefire in place, Hezbollah wants to rebuild Lebanon. But its supply chains across Syria have been weakened by Israeli airstrikes, rebel fighting and the ouster of its ally Bashar al-Assad.

The leader of the rebel coalition that swept to power last week said that fighters would be brought under the defense ministry’s authority. It was not immediately clear how that would be achieved.

Tensions in northeast Syria between Kurdish-led authorities and Turkish-backed groups should be resolved politically or risk "dramatic consequences" for all of Syria, the United Nations envoy for the country Geir Pedersen told Reuters on Monday.

The Syrian regime’s collapse came more quickly than the rebels had dreamed — the circumstances were both serendipitous and part of a larger global realignment.

Protests erupted in Christian neighborhoods of the Syrian capital Damascus after a Christmas tree was set on fire in another town by unidentified men on Monday evening.

Gaza Lebanese officials fear the potential collapse of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah due to continuous Israeli violations, security and political sources in Beirut told The National.