The Story Behind Rebels' Flag That May Soon Officially Symbolise Syria

Syrian rebels declared the fall of President Bashar al-Assad today, less than two weeks after a lightning offensive that ended his family's decades of rule. As Syrians woke up to a changed country, the rebel flags had replaced the posters of Assad, that earlier loomed over almost every corner. The development could lead to a significant change - a new official flag for the country that had its fair share of flag changes.

Current Syrian Flag

The current Syrian flag has been in use since 1980 and is a nod to Arab unity. The colours in the flag mean the following:

• Red represents the blood shed in the revolution for the freedom of Syrians
• White denotes a peaceful future
• The green stars in the middle represent Syria and Egypt - the two founding states of the United Arab Republic
• The Black is for the alleged oppression suffered by Arabs

This flag was first adopted in 1958 when the country had become independent of European influence and decided to form the United Arab Republic with Egypt. The country changed its flag another three times between 1961 and 1980 before settling on the current design. However, with the ouster of Bashar al-Assad that could change soon.

Syrian Rebels' Flag

On Sunday, as rebels announced on Syria's state television that the 50-year family dynasty was eliminated, the green-white-black-red opposition flags were seen across the country. The celebrations echoed in Germany, Turkey and Greece where jubilant crowds of thousands waved the Syrian opposition flags.

Supporters of the rebels entered the Syrian embassy in Athens raised the Syrian opposition flag from the rooftop. The police detained four people, however, left the flag flying, as per a Reuters report.

Rebel Flag And 'Independence'

The rebel flag, however, is not all that much different to the current Syrian flag. It has green at the top, white in the middle and black at the bottom of the flag with three red stars in the middle.

This flag is a modified version of the independence flag first used in 1932 when Syria gained independence from France. The Syrian opposition favoured the flag to represent independence from the Assad government.

Bashar al-Assad's whereabouts are unknown after he fled Syria. His key backer Russia said that he had left office and departed the country after giving orders for a peaceful handover of power.

After his regime was toppled, a statement read on television quoted Abu Mohammed al-Jolani - the leader of the Islamist alliance that spearheaded the offensive - as saying: "We continue to work with determination to achieve the goals of our revolution... We are determined to complete the path we started in 2011".

In 2011, Assad cracked down on peaceful pro-democracy protesters, triggering a complex conflict that drew in foreign armies.

While there has been no communication from Assad or his entourage on his whereabouts, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said he was ready to cooperate with "any leadership chosen by the Syrian people".