Syria – live: Tomb of Assad’s father set on fire by rebels as France calls out Israel for buffer zone capture
Rebel fighters have set fire to the tomb of Syria’s former president Hafez Assad – Bashar al-Assad’s father – in his home town in the country’s northwest. The insurgents posed with a flag in the burnt-out mausoleum.
France has asked Israel to respect the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of neighbouring Syria and withdraw its forces from the buffer zone between Israel and Syria, which was swiftly captured by Benjamin Netanyahu’s forces after Assad fled to Russia.
A number of Arab nations, including Egypt and Qatar, have condemned Israel for exploiting the power vacuum in Syria and capturing the area near the Golan Heights.
Earlier, Bloomberg revealed Russian intelligence agents organised the swift escape of dictator Bashar al-Assad after convincing him he would lose to encroaching forces.
And Israel said it had launched more than 480 airstrikes on military facilities across Syria, destroying the country’s navy and targeting weapons stockpiles and strategic infrastructure. Military chiefs said they hit weapons production sites in five cities including Damascus.
