Hundreds of Syrians gathered in squares across the country to watch President Ahmad al-Sharaa's speech at the U.N. General Assembly, marking the first time any president from his country has done so in almost 60 years.

Al-Sharaa said Wednesday that Syria is returning to the international community after six decades of dictatorship that killed 1 million people and tortured hundreds of thousands.

As he spoke, hundreds of people gathered in front of giant screens in Syrian cities and towns to witness the speech while waving the country’s flags.

Many danced and sang national songs.

Mohammad Habbash, a resident of Damascus, said that Al-sharaa "represents" the Syrian people.

However, divisions remain present both in Syria and the diaspora.

Since assuming power, al-Sharaa has preached coexistence and sought to reassure Syria’s minority communities, but the country has been threatened by outbreaks of sectarian violence that left hundreds dead earlier this year.

He became the first Syrian head of state to speak at the United Nations since Noureddine Attasi gave a speech in 1967 shortly after the Arab-Israeli war, during which Damascus lost control of the Golan Heights that Israel later annexed in 1981.

The Assad family dynasty’s autocratic, repressive 50-year rule in Syria abruptly collapsed in December, when then-President Bashar Assad was ousted in a lightning insurgent offensive led by al-Sharaa.

Assad’s fall ended nearly 14 years of civil war.

AP video by Ghaith Alsayed