Christians attend Christmas Eve Mass for the first time amid fears of burning Christmas trees in Syria

Christians in central Syria have attended Christmas Eve mass for the first time after fears of a burnt Christmas tree.

Christmas Eve services were held at the Church of Our Lady in the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday, Reuters reported. The event was held under tight security amid fears of violence against Christian sites.

Hours before the event began, hundreds of Damascus protesters gathered to denounce a Christmas tree burning in the northern countryside of Hama province in central and western Syria.

Holding wooden crosses, they chanted "Jesus, we are your fighters," "We sacrifice our blood and souls for Jesus," and "The Syrian people are united."

Protester Farkuh said: "We are protesting to demand our rights, to condemn the burning of Christmas trees and attacks on churches... We cannot accept this kind of behavior."

Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, the leader of Tahrir al-Sham, which led the effort to overthrow the regime, told Christians and other groups that they would be safe in Syria.

Shara is a former leader of a Sunni Islamist group that considers Christians heretics, but he told visiting Western officials that Tahrir al-Sham would not seek revenge against the former Assad regime or crack down on any other religious minority.

Many Christians have yet to be convinced, though, and the Christmas tree burning is one of several incidents against Christians since the fall of the regime.

On 18 December, unknown gunmen opened fire on a Greek Orthodox church in Hama, attempted to destroy crosses and smashed headstones in the cemetery.

In a separate incident, a Reuters reporter saw several vehicles driving through a predominantly Christian neighborhood in Damascus blaring jihadist songs from loudspeakers.