Syrians remove Hafez al-Assad's name from Damascus mosque as regime falls

Worshipers at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus used hammers to remove the name of Hafez al-Assad, the father of ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, from a marble plaque on the mosque's outer wall.

In an act symbolizing their celebration of the regime’s downfall, the crowd dismantled the inscription that included not only verses from the Quran but also the message, " This mosque was rebuilt during the time of loyalist President Hafez al-Assad," Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The removal of the plaque comes amid a broader movement across Syria, where citizens are tearing down statues and erasing symbols of the Assad family regime, which was toppled on December 8 following 61 years of rule.

Syria has been embroiled in civil war since 2011, and hostilities between Assad’s forces and opposition groups intensified again on November 27. The opposition's advance culminated with the capture of Damascus on December 7, leading to the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia.

Syria is now under an interim administration, with Mohammed al-Bashir serving as prime minister until March 2025. The diplomatic landscape is shifting, with several countries, including Türkiye, resuming diplomatic relations with Syria. On December 14, Türkiye officially reopened its embassy in Damascus.

By Vafa Guliyeva