After Assad's Fall, Syrian Opposition Flag Unfurled At Athens Embassy

The Syrian opposition flag was unfurled at the Syrian embassy in Athens on Sunday, hours after Islamist-led rebels declared they had taken Damascus, ending the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

Greek state news agency ANA said at least three men had entered the embassy and unfurled the flag, which was seen hanging from the roof of the building.

Officers were sent to the scene and three men was detained, it added.

The police did not respond to AFP requests for comment.

One man was seen on an embassy balcony clutching a portrait of Assad and shouting "dictator".

Syrians who fled to Greece when the Assad regime was installed in 1970 came to the embassy to celebrate.

"The dictator escaped. It is over... A new dawn rises for Syria," said Maarouf Alobeid, a cardiologist who has lived in Greece for four decades.

"I came running from my home... The thirst of the Syrian people for freedom, for democracy... cannot be described," he said.

"Twenty-four million Syrians didn't sleep all night," said Nader Halbouni, a senior official from the Syrian community in Greece.

A gathering by Syrians in Greece was scheduled for later on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of Syrians fled to Greece in the 2015 mass migration wave, most of them aiming to reach Germany and other wealthy European Union states. According to the migration ministry, over 15,000 Syrians currently have residence permits in Greece.

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