STATE OF DANGER

Syrians celebrate fall of Assad but fears loom over jihadi rebels in charge|Hunt for his chemical weapons as Lammy warns peace is not certain

- LIZZY BUCHAN

SYRIANS are hoping the collapse of Bashar al Assad's murderous regime will bring a brighter future to the war-ravaged country.

But with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in control of the capital Damascus there are fears the rebel group may be a barrier to a longed-for peace as it is a banned terrorist organisation.

And a desperate hunt was on to find Assad's stash of chemical weapons in a bid to stop them falling into the hands of the jihadi outfit.

David Lammy also launched a blistering attack on the despot who fled to Moscow where he will be shielded by Vladimir Putin, who has propped up his reign of hell for years.

As life in Damascus yesterday slowly started returning to normal after HTS stormed the city, the Foreign Secretary said: "Our revulsion of Assad must not blind us to risks of this moment. His demise is not a guarantee for peace. This is a moment of danger as well as opportunity for Syria."

Keir Starmer said it was too early to decide whether to lift the ban on HTS, which has past links to al-Qaeda. But he urged it to carry out a peaceful transition of power.

After a meeting with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman AI Saud in Riyadh, the PM said: "No decision is pending.

"At the moment the focus has to be on talking to our allies, making sure that this is an opportunity for Syria, and therefore we have to work to make sure that this is a peaceful opportunity."

There are also fears a new civil war could lead to thousands of Syrians fleeing to Europe and arriving in the UK by small boats.