By Karolina Tagaris, Edward McAllister, Riham Alkousaa ATHENS/BERLIN (Reuters) -Najem al-Moussa was delighted when news of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's overthrow first beamed from the television in his tiny Athens apartment.

Allentown’s Syrian population reacted with a mix of relief, joy and apprehension at the news that rebel groups toppled the al-Assad regime.

In just over a week, Syrian rebel forces seized much of Syria’s northwest. First, the rebels captured Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, then Hama and Homs. On Sunday, they entered Syria’s capital, Damascus, taking the city without a fight as government forces fled.