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In churches across long-stifled Syria, Christians marked the first Sunday services since Bashar Assad’s ouster in an air of transformation. Some worshippers were in tears. Others clasped their hands in prayer. “They are promising us that government will be formed soon and, God willing, things will become better because we got rid of the tyrant,” said one worshipper, Jihad Raffoul.“Today, our prayers are for a new page in Syria’s future,” said another, Suzan Barakat.To help those efforts, the U.N. envoy for Syria called for a quick end to Western sanctions as the country’s new leaders and regional and global powers discuss the way forward.Syria has been under sanctions by the United States, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peace...

Bizarre and personal photos of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad have surfaced from his abandoned residences, sparking ridicule among Syrians who only until recently were persecuted for criticizing his leadership. The images, reportedly discovered in photo albums from Assad’s mansions in the hills of Damascus and Aleppo, painted an unflattering portrait of Bashar and his father, Hafez Assad, who had ruled Syria with an iron grip for decades. They stripped away the carefully constructed image that the Assad family had cultivated for decades.One photo featured Hafez Assad in his underwear, striking a bodybuilder-like pose. Other images showed Bashar Assad in a Speedo flexing his biceps; astride a yellow motorcycle in his briefs; perched on a handcycle, also in his briefs; and staring blan...