Damascus, Syria - December 17, 2024 Syrians in Damascus have flocked to local bakeries as stores reopened days after the country's opposition forces-led transitional government took power. Flatbread is a staple food for Syrians. Due to a long-standing bread shortage, the now-toppled Assad government introduced a smart card system, restricting residents' purchases to a set quantity of subsidized goods at authorized retailers. The newly formed transitional government has not fully lifted the restrictions but has raised the daily allowable purchases. However, supply shortages persist, and some bakeries have limited purchases to one or two packs per person. Large crowds continue to gather at stores, eager to buy food. Currently, the transitional government is trying to save the small wheat reserves in Syria and also looking to import flour from other countries to ensure a steady supply. The situation in Syria has undergone a dramatic shift in recent days. Mohammed al-Bashir, head of the "Syrian Salvation Government" in Idlib formed in 2017 by the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other Syrian militant groups during the Syrian civil war, announced on Dec. 10 that he has been tasked with heading a transitional government in Syria until early March 2025. Shotlist: Damascus, Syria - Dec 16, 2024: 1. Various of bakery staff working, pieces of flat bread; 2. Various of customers gathering at bakery to buy bread, street view; 3. Various of flat bread on shelf, vendors selling bread to customers; 4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) bakery operator (name not given): "In the past, each card allowed a person to buy only two packs of flatbread per day. Now, a person can purchase up to four packs of bread a day."; 5. Various of flour bags, people carrying flour bags; 6. Various of flag bread vendors, buyers, flatbread. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland/Orient TV/Syria Alshaab TV/Zanoubia TV/Alhurra TV/ANN TV/Al Jazeera/ Al-Arabiya TV]