Syrian rebel forces dismantle symbols of al-Assad

Damascus
As the Syrian rebel coalition that ousted Bashar al-Assad, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), further consolidates control over the country’s east, rebels have continued dismantling symbols of the more than 50-year Assad family regime.
Rebels destroyed the tomb of late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, father of the recently ousted president, by lighting it on fire in northwestern Syrian town of Qardaha, wire photos showed Wednesday.
Mohammed al-Bashir, who previously led the HTS-backed governing body in Syria’s Idlib province, said he will serve as Syria’s caretaker prime minister until March, with the backing of the rebel coalition. Bashir told Al Jazeera it was time for “stability and calm.”
Rebel forces claimed Wednesday that they have taken control of Deir al-Zour, the largest city in Syria’s east. The Washington Post could not immediately verify the claim. Rebels since Sunday have controlled the capital, Damascus, where they now seek to bring a sense of stability to rattled residents.