CLEVELAND, Ohio - Northeast Ohioans of Syrian descent have been responding in celebration to the news thousands of miles away that Syrian rebels stormed the capital city of Damascus and toppled Bashar al-Assad’s decades-long dictatorship.

CLEVELAND — Over the last two years, Ohio has welcomed close to 900 refugees from Syria, with more than half of them settling in the Cleveland area. That's why the reaction was strung Monday to the stunning weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

CNN mapped how rebel groups captured several key cities, cutting off pro-regime forces and successfully toppling Assad’s regime after 11 days of fighting.