Tomb of Bashar al-Assad's father set alight after Syrian rebel victory

The tomb of the former Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad has been set alight, according to numerous reports, just days after an uprising swept his son Bashar from power.

Images taken from Qardaha, the ancestral village of the al-Assad family in the western province of Latakia, appear to show part of the mausoleum — and a coffin — on fire.

The presidential palace was looted on Sunday, while statues of the Assad family have been toppled across the country.

The dramatic scenes from Qardaha come three days after rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized the capital, Damascus, following the withdrawal of the Syrian army and Bashar al-Assad's escape into exile.

The elder al-Assad ruled the country with an iron fist for three decades after taking power in a coup in 1970, remaining in power until he died from a heart attack in 2000. During his repressive rule, his forces routinely went after his political opponents.

On his death, he was succeeded by his son Bashar, who had previously worked as an ophthalmologist in London.

It was after Bashar al-Assad violently clamped down on protesters in 2011 that Syria was plunged into a 13-year civil war, in the course of which 500,000 people are thought to have been killed. Millions of Syrians have gone into exile.

The current al-Assad, who has enjoyed the backing and military support of both Russia and Iran, has controlled much of the country since his forces seized Aleppo, the country’s second largest city, from the opposition in 2016.

His quick demise as dictator came as a shock after the lightning rebel offensive that began in north-west Syria in late November. Opposition fighters first took Aleppo, before seizing Hama and Homs on their journey down to Damascus.

Related

• Syria’s interim government will stay in power until March, reports say

• Iran's supreme leader blames US and Israel for Bashar al-Assad’s fall from power in Syria

With al-Assad gone, Syrians at home and abroad have been celebrating the end of his bloody regime.

However, their joy has been laced with sadness, with many coming to terms with the fact that their relatives —who disappeared during al-Assad’s rule and who have not reappeared since his regime's infamously harsh prisons were liberated — might not be coming back.

Free of the al-Assads at last, Syria faces a crucial test over the coming months. It is hoped that the country can avoid the fate of Iraq and Libya, which descended into chaos following the ousting of their respective dictators Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi.

Western leaders have rallied to congratulate Syria on its new-found freedom, while warning that its future remains uncertain.

Some have concerns about HTS, the leading rebel group, which used to be an affiliate of Al-Qaeda. In an attempt to assuage them, its leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who has distanced himself from his group’s origins, insists that his organisation will respect all Syrians, regardless of religion.

Others see the transition of power threatened by the actions of some of Syria’s neighbours.

Israel announced on Tuesday that it had carried out more than 350 strikes in Syria in two days. It targeted navy facilities, military airfields and weapons depots.

The move was made “in order to prevent terrorism in Syria from taking root,” Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said.

Speaking in Berlin on Wednesday, the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged Israel — and Turkey, which also has strategic interests in Syria — not to interfere.

“Neighbours such as the Turkish and Israeli governments, which are asserting their security interests, must not jeopardise the process,” she said.

Syria’s interim government, which will last until March next year, is being led by Mohammed al-Bashir, who assumed the role of caretaker prime minister earlier this week.

Al-Bashir, a former leader in HTS-held Idlib province, has promised to restore security and stability in the country, bring back millions of refugees from abroad, and ensure essential services like electricity, water and food.

In his first interview with a western journalist, al-Bashir told the Italian paper Corriere Della Sera that the challenges facing Syria were immense.

“We have no foreign reserves, and as for loans and bonds, we are still gathering the data. So yes, financially, we are in a very bad state,” he said.

“The debt is enormous, the challenge monumental,” he added. “It will take time, but we will get there.”