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Syria: tomb of former president Hafez al-Assad burned by rebel fighters

The tomb of former Syrian president and dictator Hafez al-Assad, father of Bashar al-Assad, located in his native village on the Mediterranean coast, was set on fire by rebel fighters.

In front of the grave, they posed, flag of the Syrian revolution in hand.

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Syria: the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime

They wanted to reduce to ashes the symbol of half a century of oppression. Located in a mausoleum in the Alawite region of Latakia, the tomb of former dictator Hafez al-Assad was set on fire by rebel fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).

Inside the majestic domed structure adorned with decorations carved into stone, men waved the flag of the Syrian revolution, as seen in the photo below.

In Syria, the tomb of former President Hafez al-Assad was set on fire. – AAREF WATAD / AFP / SANA

Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for three decades until his death in 2000, when his son, Bashar al-Assad, became president. The sanctuary, raised on the top of a hill in this stronghold of the Assad family, was thus closely guarded. It houses the graves of other members of the Assad family, including Bashar al-Assad's brother Bassel, who was supposed to succeed Hafez but died in a car accident in 1994.

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On Sunday, the rebels took the city of Damascus in a lightning offensive launched on November 27, ending more than 50 years of rule by the Assad clan, from the Alawite minority. The leadership of the rebel factions called on Tuesday “military formations and civilians” from the coastal region to “not confiscate public equipment, weapons or vehicles”. She warned the population against “any attempt to approach or enter public institutions, military barracks, under penalty of being held responsible and sanctioned.”


MT with AFP

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