Syria's new administration takes over country's main international airport

Syria's new administration has taken over the country's main international airport after security forces of the deposed Bashar al-Assad government and staff withdrew, grounding flights and stranding passengers. The airport has not been functional since. Now, security members of the rebel alliance in control of Syria have taken over Damascus International Airport, hoping to restore security, a sense of confidence, and the legitimacy needed to restart flights out of the capital, and from one of the country’s three international airports. "Damascus international airport is the heart of the city because it is the gateway for international delegations and missions,” Omar al-Shami, a security official with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the faction that led the shock offensive that led to the fall of Assad, told press. “It is the centre and most important (institution) in Damascus. It is the international crossing into Damascus, the passage for Syria to breathe.” Elsewhere, life slowly began returning to normalcy in Damascus on Wednesday, with some shops reopening and people strolling through markets.<br/>