The Syrian regime’s collapse came more quickly than the rebels had dreamed — the circumstances were both serendipitous and part of a larger global realignment.

The tomb of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's father Hafez was torched in his hometown of Qardaha, footage taken Wednesday, December 11, showed, with rebel fighters in fatigues and young men watching it burn.

Syrian rebel fighters have destroyed the tomb of former president Hafez al-Assad, father of ousted president Bashar al-Assad, in a symbolic move marking the end of the Assad family’s 54-year rule. Videos online show armed rebels,

Millions of Syrians fled their home country under the Assad regime. As they are contemplating whether to return to Syria, the fall of the regime has led to a new flow of refugees - Assad loyalists from the country's Shiite minority.