Where Turkey stands as Syrian government falls to opposition insurgents

Syrian refugees across Turkey jubilantly welcomed the downfall of Bashar Assad's government Sunday, with many embracing the chance to return to their homeland.

Large crowds waving Syrian and Turkish flags gathered in the main square of Kilis, a border city in southern Turkey.

In Hatay province, which also lies on the Syrian frontier, many said it was time to go home after years of living in Turkey, which hosts some 3 million Syrians.

"We are free now, everyone should return to their homeland," Mahmud Esma told the DHA news agency at the Cilvegozu border gate.

Turkey, which shares a 911-kilometer- (566-mile-) long frontier with Syria, has been a main backer of opposition groups aiming to topple Assad since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011.

While Turkish officials have strongly rejected claims of any involvement, observers believe that the...