Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said "victory is only the start" as the nation marked one year since its liberation from the Assad regime, as cities across Syria celebrated Liberation Day and a new age for the country.
"Let's turn this victory into a responsibility manifested in hard work to take our country [to] the forefront among the leading countries worldwide," al-Sharaa said, according to a translation by Al Jazeera.
Al-Sharaa also hailed a "new story of bravery and triumph" for Syria.
Official celebrations are planned for the central Umayyad Square in Damascus, which has been packed with jubilant gatherings ahead of 8 December, and in other parts of the country with military and civilian parades expected.
Sharaa marked the occasion by performing dawn prayers at Damascus' Umayyad Mosque, where he promised to build a just and strong Syria.
Dressed in military fatigues, like those he wore during the victorious rebel campaign spearheaded by his former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, Sharaa celebrated with the congregation on the one-year anniversary of the country's liberation from the Assad regime.
"From north to south and from east to west, God willing, we will rebuild a strong Syria with a structure befitting its present and past," he said, according to SANA.