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Social media reports circulating in recent hours claim that the remains of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad have been removed from his tomb and transferred to an unknown location. The identity of those behind the alleged exhumation remains unclear, and the information has not been independently verified.
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Hafez al-Assad's remains have been exhumed from his grave
The burial site, located in the Assad family's hometown of Qardaha in Syria’s Latakia province, was previously vandalized during rebel offensives that weakened the regime of his son, deposed president Bashar al-Assad. Some online speculation suggests the recent development may not be a new act of desecration, but rather an effort by Assad loyalists to safeguard the remains following repeated attacks on the tomb.
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In December, Syrian opposition channels reported that rebels had set the tomb ablaze, with footage showing smoke billowing from the sealed compound. In one video, a rebel fighter can be seen entering the site waving the opposition flag, and shouting slogans. The act was reportedly carried out “in revenge for the thousands of victims whose blood was spilled.”
The tomb complex in Qardaha also contains the graves of other Assad family members, including Basil al-Assad—Bashar’s elder brother and original heir apparent, who died in a car crash in 1994. The site has long been a symbolic pilgrimage location for supporters of the Assad regime.