Ex-Syria dictator Hafez al-Assad’s tomb exhumed, body moved to unknown location

The tomb of former Syrian President and dictator Hafez Al-Assad has been desecrated and exhumed, with his body reportedly being moved to an unknown location.

Over the past few days, images and footage have circulated on social media showing the tomb of Assad senior in the western city of Qardaha – the Assad family’s hometown and the heartland of Syria’s Alawite sect – vandalised and emptied, seemingly devoid of any remains of the late dictator.

نبش قبر حافظ الأسد في مدينه القرداحه في الساحل وإخراج عظامه
من قبل فصائل مسلحة حافظ الاسد بطل حرب تشرين شاء كارهه او ابا حارب العدو
ماذا فعل بنو امية غير سبي النساء
وقتل الاطفال
هذا هو الاسلام هذا هودين الذي يتباها به المسلمين
لعن الله بني امية قاطبة والجولاني وفصائله جميعا pic.twitter.com/G9Tgna8uqv

— maya (@meme_syr3) April 27, 2025

Men dressed in military attire can also be seen surrounding the ruined mausoleum, and although their memberships and affiliations have not been confirmed, they are likely to be part of the former rebel forces who fought against the late regime of Hafez Al-Assad’s son Bashar Al-Assad, which was overthrown on 8 December.

According to local Syrian media outlets and activists, the footage dates back to 17 April and was filmed after unidentified individuals dug up the old dictator’s grave and transferred the remains to an unknown location.

The reported destruction of the tomb and the removal of Hafez Al-Assad’s remains come months after the site was previously attacked and set on fire in December, with the mausoleum seen as a symbol of the former regime and its brutal decades-long rule over Syria.

READ: The end of the House of Assad: How, and why now?