JOHN: GOOD EVENING.

I'M JOHN YANG.

TODAY, A WEEK AFTER LIFE INSIDE SYRIA WAS UPENDED AS REBELS TOPPLED PRESIDENT BASHAR AL ASSAD'S REGIME, THERE WERE FLICKERING SIGNS OF NORMALCY.

SYRIAN CHRISTIANS ATTENDED REGULAR SUNDAY SERVICES AND SCHOOLS REOPENED.

NOW, AS THE COUNTRY'S NEW LEADERS BEGIN TO CHART A PATH FORWARD, THE U.N.

ENVOY TO SYRIA SAYS THE LIGHTNING OFFENSIVE SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY A QUICK END TO THE SANCTIONS THE WEST IMPOSED AFTER ASSAD CRUSHED THE ARAB SPRING ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS MORE THAN A DECADE AGO.

LEILA MOLANA ALLEN IS IN ALEPPO TONIGHT.

LEILA, YOU'VE SPENT THIS PAST WEEK TRAVELING ALL AROUND SYRIA.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN SEEING, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN HEARING?

LEILA: I HAVE, JOHN.

IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, I HAVE FOLLOWED THE PATH BACKWARDS THAT THE REBEL GROUPS FOLLOWED THROUGH SYRIA.

I STARTED IN DAMASCUS AND MOVED UP INTO THE SECOND BIGGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY, ALEPPO.

TODAY UP INTO WHAT WERE THE REBEL HELD AREAS IN THE NORTHWEST, BUT MUCH OF THE COUNTRY IS NOW REBEL HELD SO THEY CAN'T BE CALLED THAT ANYMORE.

ONE OF THE STRANGEST THINGS IS IT DOESN'T FEEL STRANGE.

IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT JUST OVER A WEEK AGO THERE WOULD BE CHECKPOINTS EVERYWHERE ALONG THESE ROADS, MOST PEOPLE COULD NOT MOVE FREELY, WOULD BE ASKED FOR ID, HARASSED, OFTEN DETAINED FOR TRYING TO CROSS INTO DIFFERENT AREAS.

PEOPLE IN REGIME HELD SYRIA AND THE NORTHWEST HAD DIFFERENT ID CARDS, DIFFERENT CELLULAR NETWORKS, EVERYTHING DIVIDED.

SUDDENLY THESE ROADS ARE OPEN, SO MOVEMENT IS THE FIRST THING FUNCTIONING VERY WELL.

BEYOND THAT, SERVICES ARE STRUGGLING.

SYRIA HAS ALREADY BEEN STRUGGLING FOR YEARS WITH ISSUES LIKE CONNECTIVITY, GETTING ENOUGH DIESEL AND PETROL.

THERE IS VERY LITTLE PETROL.

PEOPLE ARE WATERING DOWN PETROL AND SELLING IT IN CANISTERS OR SMUGGLING IT FROM LEBANON.

THERE ARE ELECTRICITY PROBLEMS, PARTICULARLY IN THE NORTH.

IN ALEPPO THERE ARE CONSTANT POWER CUTS AND IT IS WORSE IN THE RURAL AREAS.

THERE ARE LOTS OF ISSUES WITH THE ROADS OVER THE YEARS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT BEEN USED MUCH, EXCEPT FOR TANKS AND MILITARY VEHICLES WHICH HAVE TORN THEM UP.

NOW THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE CROSSING THE COUNTRY USING THEM, SO THAT'S A BIG PROBLEM.

NOW PEOPLE ARE GRADUALLY TRYING TO START THE PROCESS OF PUTTING THEIR LIVES BACK TOGETHER IN THIS COUNTRY, FIGURING OUT WHERE THEY ARE GOING TO LIVE.

SO MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN DISPLACEMENT CAMPS WITHIN THEIR OWN COUNTRY, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY ARE GOING NOW.

JOHN: THE SYRIANS ARE HAPPY THAT WHAT'S PAST IS GONE, BUT WHAT ABOUT WHAT'S TO COME?

HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT THE REBELS IN CHARGE?

LEILA: THERE ARE CONCERNS SYRIA COULD BE TRADING ONE OPPRESSIVE REGIME FOR ANOTHER.

THE GROUP LEADING THE REBELS THAT HAVE TAKEN OVER THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY IS A DESIGNATED TERROR ORGANIZATION BY THE WEST.

IN 2015, A GROUP THAT WAS LINKED TO BOTH AL QAEDA AND ISIS TURNED INTO THIS GROUP AND THEY ARE THIS FUNDAMENTALIST GROUP.

HOWEVER, IN RECENT YEARS THERE LEADER HAS DROPPED HIS JIHADI NAME.

HE HAS TAKEN OFF WHAT MANY CONSIDER TO BE TRADITIONAL JIHADI DRESS AND INSTEAD DRESSES IN A MILITARY STYLE.

HE HAS MADE PROMISES THE COUNTRY WILL BE LIBERAL.

HE SAYS THEY WILL NOT MAKE PEOPLE ABIDE BY ISLAMIST PRINCIPLES AND WILL RESPECT THE MANY MINORITIES IN SYRIA, MANY WHO EVENTUALLY SUPPORTED ASSAD DURING THE WAR BECAUSE HE FELT THEY WOULD PROTECT THEM.

NOW PEOPLE ARE LOOKING TO SEE WHETHER THAT IS THE TRUTH.

CURRENTLY HGS FIGHTERS ON THE STREETS AS WELL AS THE OTHER REBEL GROUPS ARE BEING VERY BENIGN.

THERE ARE A FORM OF CHECKPOINTS.

THEY ARE STANDING ON THE HIGHWAYS FOR SECURITY BUT THEY LARGELY WAVED CARS THROUGH WITHOUT CONCERN ONCE THEY SEE WHO IS INSIDE.

THEY ARE BEING FRIENDLY WITH PEOPLE, HUGGING BABIES, GREETING WOMEN ON THE STREETS.

THE MOOD IS VERY POSITIVE.

THEY ARE CERTAINLY BEING VERY LIBERAL WITH THE PRESS AS WELL AND ALLOWING THE PRESS TO GO AND SEE WHATEVER THEY WANT.

OF COURSE RIGHT NOW THAT IS IN THEIR INTERESTS BECAUSE JOURNALISTS ARE UNCOVERING THE YEARS OF SYSTEMATIC ABUSE OF CIVILIANS THAT THE ASSAD REGIME CARRIED OUT, WHICH IS WHAT HTS AND THE REBELS WANT THEM TO SEE.

THE QUESTION IS IF THIS CONTINUES IN THE FUTURE.

ONE OF THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES IS PEOPLE WANT WESTERN COUNTRIES TO RECOGNIZE THIS SALVATION GOVERNMENT, IT IS CALLED, WHICH WAS IN ENGLAND AND HAS SPREAD TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, QUICKLY, BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEY FEEL IF THEY DON'T SUPPORT THIS GOVERNMENT, PERHAPS IT WILL TURN TO A LESS POSITIVE AND LIBERAL MOOD.

THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE COUNTRY NOW, AHMED AL-SHARAA, THE MAIN COMMANDER OF HTS, HAS ASSIGNED AL BASHIR TO RUN A CARETAKER GOVERNMENT UNTIL MARCH TO GET A SICK SERVICES RUNNING, SEWAGE, ROADS, TEXTILE, INTERNET.

BEYOND THAT, IF HTS DECIDES IT IS NOT GOING TO ALLOW OTHER GROUPS INTO A NEW GOVERNMENT, THAT'S WHERE PROB