Sarah Latifa had feared that her Christian community in Syria may struggle to celebrate its first Christmas since Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.

Syrian Christians attended Christmas Eve services on Tuesday for the first time since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in early December, in an early test of the new Islamist rulers' pledges to protect the rights of the country's religious minorities.

Christians in Syria lit up a giant Christmas tree and celebrated Mass as they spoke of their hopes for a new era after the ouster of president Bashar Assad (AP video shot by Abdulrahman Shaheen and Hussein Malla).