Thousands gather at Damascus's Umayyad Mosque ahead of Friday prayers

Thousands of Syrians converged at the landmark Umayyad Mosque in Damascus ahead of Friday prayers where the leader of the Islamist rebels who seized power last week is expected, AFP correspondents reported.

Men, women and children flocked to the mosque, an unusual sight in Damascus, with some raising the Syrian independence flag, used by the opposition since the 2011 uprising. Some chanted: "one, one, one, the Syrian people is one," the correspondents said.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who is now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, had called on "the great Syrian people " to go to the streets to express their joy, in a video message shared on Telegram.

His call comes ahead of the first Friday prayers since Syria's new leadership took control. During the early days of of Syria's uprising in 2011, protesters would usually gather after Friday prayers.