Assad statues torn down as Syrians reclaim streets
People stand atop a toppled statue of Syria’s late president Hafez al-Assad in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 8, 2024. (AFP Photo)


With Sunday’s collapse of Syria’s Baath regime and the end of the Assad family era, Syrians were seen toppling statues of Hafez al-Assad, the late father of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in various cities across the country.

As the biggest cities of the country fell out of regime control, people took to the streets and demolished statues of the late Assad and smashed pictures of his son Bashar.

From the capital Damascus to the Assad family coastal hometown of Latakia, among other cities, all symbols of the regime are being taken down.

In Damascus, people also stormed the palace of Bashar al-Assad, whose whereabouts are still unknown, while celebrations continue in many parts of the country.

International media reported various claims that Assad left the country, with unconfirmed reports suggesting that he may have traveled to Russia or a neighboring Middle Eastern country.

In recent days, thousands of people around the world have used flight-tracking programs to track the routes of flights to and from Damascus and Latakia.