Citizens topple statues of Hafez al-Assad

Syrians around the country on Sunday toppled and trampled on statues of President Bashar al-Assad's late father Hafez, who was the military dictator of the region.

In the capital Damascus, people cheered as they stood on a toppled statue of former president Hafez al-Assad, in a highly symbolic moment for a country ruled with an iron fist for five decades by his clan.

The scenes came as Islamist-led rebels declared Bashar al-Assad had fled the country following a lightning offensive that wrested city after city from his control, culminating with their arrival in Damascus.