Jihadist rebels in Syria have set the tomb of Hafez al-Assad, the former dictator and father of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, on fire. Rebels, led by al-Qaeda re-brand Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took control of Syria after Assad fled to Russia.
Video footage shared on social media shows members of the rebels setting the tomb of Hafez al-Assad on fire in Qardaha, in the Latakia region, a stronghold of Syria’s Alawite minority.
Hafez al-Assad, a member of the Alawite minority, was the dictator of Syria from 1971 until 2000 when his son Bashar was declared President. Since the fall of the Assad government, rebels have taken to the streets to destroy statues and images of both Assad and his father across the country.
The tomb of Hafez Al Assad is on fire pic.twitter.com/ICy0TpFXXj
— Asaad Sam Hanna (@AsaadHannaa) December 11, 2024
The rebels, which were partially trained by the Ukrainian armed forces, are wanted terrorists in many countries. Their leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, declared in 2018 that he and HTS aimed to conquer Jerusalem following the conquest of Damascus.
“Allah willing, we will reach not only Damascus. Jerusalem awaits us as well. Every bullet we fire here will reverberate throughout the Islamic world. Your place as a Jihad fighter on this blessed land is in itself a grace of Allah, Who chose you from among billions of people,” he said.
Following the Islamist rebels’ victory, several countries have begun freezing asylum claims from Syrian nationals, including the United Kingdom and Germany, which has the largest population of Syrians in Europe.
It remains to be seen how the rebels will treat minorities like the Alawites, Syrian Christians, Druze, and others.
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