In Syria, the tomb of former President Hafez al-Assad was set on fire by rebel fighters

In recent days, demonstrators have already toppled and trampled statues of Bashar al-Assad's father.

They attacked a symbol of a hated regime. Rebels set fire to the tomb of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, in his native village on the Syrian coast, on Wednesday December 11, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH). The grave of the former dictator, who ruled Syria unchallenged for three decades until his death in 2000, was located in a mausoleum in the Alawite region of Latakia.

In recent days, in the capital, as in other cities, demonstrators have already toppled and trampled statues of Hafez al-Assad. His son, President Bashar al-Assad, fled Syria, driven out by a spectacular offensive by Islamist-led rebels. A turning point in history which put an end, on Sunday December 8, to half a century of dictatorship of his family clan.