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

Christmas in Maaloula was marked by fear, as the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's rise to power rekindled memories of Islamist violence that terrorized the Christian town from 2013 to 2014.

Protests in Christian neighborhoods of Syria's capital city erupted after a Christmas tree was set ablaze weeks after the downfall of the nation's longtime dictatorship, according to multiple reports.