Bashar al-Assad was the leader of Syria for many years. He was very strong and did not let people say bad things about him. Many people did not like him because he used force to stop them from speaking. A long time ago, people tried to protest, but Assad stopped them with violence. This led to a big fight in the country. Many people died and many had to leave their homes. Assad had friends from other countries who helped him stay in power.

But now, things have changed. Assad's friends are busy with their own problems and did not help him this time. The rebels, who do not like Assad, attacked and took over many important cities. They even took over the capital city, Damascus, where Assad lived. Now, Assad is no longer the leader. This is a big change for Syria and the area around it. Some of Assad's friends are weaker now, and this might change how countries in the area behave with each other.

People have different feelings about the rebels taking over. The group that leads the rebels used to work with a bad group called al-Qaeda. They say they are different now and want to help the country. But some people do not trust them. They worry about what will happen next in Syria. They think there might be more fighting and problems because there is no clear leader now.