On December 11, rebels set fire to the tomb of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in his coastal hometown, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This act follows recent protests in which demonstrators toppled and defaced statues of Hafez al-Assad across the country. His son, President Bashar al-Assad, has since fled Syria amidst a significant rebel offensive, marking a pivotal change in a decades-long dictatorship.