THIS is the dramatic moment the largest statue of the Assad family is ruthlessly toppled over and smashed into pieces by Syrian rebels.
A giant monument honouring former president Hafez al-Assad - the dad of overthrown dictator Bashar al-Assad - was dragged to the ground today as hundreds celebrated.
Rebels fired countless rounds of AK-47 gunfire into the air and jumped on the downed statue as they continue to rejoice over the fall of the Assad regime.
Shocking footage shows the moment the huge Hafez was being hacked away at by rebels in an excavator.
They can be seen piercing through the heavy statue's left leg before a final blow leaves it plunging backwards.
It crashes onto the concrete platform below and splits into thousands of pieces upon impact.
A cloud of dust then fills the air of Deir Atiyah - just north of Damascus.
People could be heard singing "raise your head, you are a free Syrian", as they danced around the dust.
It is the latest in a line of towering Syrian statues depicting the Assad family to be torn down by rebels.
A week ago the Islamist rebels toppled a statue of Bashar al-Assad's late brother in a chilling allusion to the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Video showed crowds around the Bassel al-Assad statue in Aleppo's Basel Square before tearing down the former heir to Syria's presidency from his horse.
Syria is reeling from a seismic shift in power after rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year regime, forcing the dictator to flee to Moscow.
The collapse of Assad's rule has sparked celebrations across the country but also unleashed chaos, with fears of humanitarian disasters and security threats.
One of the most immediate crises centres on Sednaya Military Prison, notorious for its brutal conditions and dubbed a "human slaughterhouse" by rights groups.
Rebels stormed the prison, freeing thousands of detainees, many of whom had been unlawfully held and subjected to torture, starvation, and overcrowding.
Shocking footage shows freed prisoners recounting years of abuse, including being crammed into cells with over 25 others and stripped of their identities.
Despite the mass release, an estimated 100,000 prisoners remain trapped in underground cells sealed behind electronically locked doors.
Emergency crews, led by the Syrian civil defence group White Helmets, are racing against time to break into the hidden chambers amid fears that detainees could suffocate due to poor ventilation.
Teams are drilling through concrete walls and floors, while the White Helmets have offered a $3,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of survivors.
Meanwhile, fears of chemical weapons falling into the wrong hands are escalating.
Assad’s regime, despite agreeing in 2013 to dismantle its chemical arsenal, is believed to have retained stockpiles.
With the regime’s collapse, concerns have mounted that extremist groups could seize these weapons and orchestrate attacks.
In response, US and Israeli airstrikes have targeted suspected chemical weapon depots across Syria.
In Damascus, the fall of Assad has triggered both symbolic and practical shifts.
Rebel forces declared the capital "free of Assad" after a swift offensive and were seen looting the presidential palace, toppling statues of Assad and his father, Hafez, and waving rebel flags in celebration.
THE end of Assad’s reign came abruptly this month as rebel forces launched a lightning offensive, exploiting weakened Syrian defences.
Rebels captured Damascus in a lightning campaign, declaring the capital “free” and marking the end of years of brutal authoritarian rule.
With Russia mired in Ukraine and Iran preoccupied with regional conflicts, Assad’s regime was left vulnerable.
Rebels stormed Aleppo, marking a symbolic victory, and Assad fled Damascus.
Assad left aboard a military plane amid rumours of its crash before resurfacing in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin granted him asylum.
It comes as an apparent Russian conspiracy to distribute false news about an al-Assad 'aircraft accident' has been exposed.
The Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security claimed on X that Russia "hid their trail" in assisting al-Assad's escape by circulating fake claims that he died in a crash.
Meanwhile, opposition forces took control of key cities, toppled Assad’s statues, and announced plans for a transitional government.
The fall of Assad deals a blow to allies Russia and Iran, with both withdrawing assets from Syria.
Challenges remain as Syrians celebrate, but hopes rise for a democratic future after years of war.
His fall not only signals the collapse of a dynastic dictatorship but also underscores the cost of clinging to power through terror.
Bashar al-Assad has left behind a shattered nation.
He decimated Syria’s infrastructure, fractured its society, and plunged millions into despair.
Syria became synonymous with human suffering, and Assad’s name will forever be tied to some of the worst war crimes of the modern era.
The man once seen as a modernising reformer will be remembered instead as a symbol of unchecked brutality, his legacy written in the blood of his own people.
