Christians in Syria lit up a giant Christmas tree and celebrated Mass as they spoke of their hopes for a new era after the ouster of president Bashar Assad (AP video shot by Abdulrahman Shaheen and Hussein Malla).

Although members of the Christian community said they are happy to see the Assad regime go, many are wary of their new Islamist leaders.

Syrian Christians attended Christmas Eve services on Tuesday for the first time since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. The now ruling Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, HTS, in Syria had after overthrowing Assad pledged to protect the rights of the country’s religious minorities.