The tomb of Hafez al-Assad, the father of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was set ablaze in his hometown of Qardaha, according to AFP footage taken on Wednesday.
The video captured rebel fighters in military fatigues and young men watching as the mausoleum burned.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, confirmed that rebel forces were responsible for torching the mausoleum, which is situated in Latakia, the stronghold of the Alawite community to which the Assad family belongs.
The footage revealed significant damage to the mausoleum, with parts of the structure in flames and the tomb of Hafez al-Assad completely destroyed.
The mausoleum, an imposing structure perched atop a hill, features intricate architectural designs. It is adorned with stone-carved ornamentation and includes several arches. The site also houses the tombs of other Assad family members, including Bassel al-Assad, Bashar’s elder brother, who had been groomed to take over leadership before his untimely death in a car accident in 1994.
The torching of the tomb followed a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebel forces on Sunday, during which they captured key cities and ultimately reached Damascus. The advance forced Bashar al-Assad to flee the capital, effectively ending over 50 years of Assad family rule in Syria.
