Syrians returned to a mausoleum in Qardaha near Latakia that housed the remains of Hafez al-Assad, who seized control of Syria in 1970. A day after the remains of the former leader were burned by armed Islamist rebels, people fired bullets into the building and visited the charred remains. Assad ruled over Syria until 2000 in what has been described as one of the most oppressive police states in the Middle East. His son, Bashar al-Assad, was ousted and fled the country after rebels captured the capital after a lightning advance completed in just under two weeks
Middle East crisis live: American freed in Syria after seven months in detention; Iran warns it must live with ‘new realities’
US urges Syrian rebels to form ‘inclusive’ government
American found in Damascus appears to have been released from Syrian prison
