Tomb of Assad's father set on fire in Syria

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

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said that the rebels had set fire to the mausoleum, located in the Latakia heartland of Assad's Alawite community.

AFP footage showed parts of the mausoleum ablaze and damaged, with the tomb of Hafez torched and destroyed.

The vast elevated structure atop a hill has an intricate architectural design with several arches, its exterior embellished with ornamentation etched in stone.

It also houses the tombs of other Assad family members, including Bashar's brother Bassel, who was being groomed to inherit power before he was killed in a road accident in 1994.

Meanwhile shops are reopening and people are returning to work in Damascus as day-to-day life gradually resumes.

On Wednesday, more refugees return to their homeland as interim Prime Minister Mohamed al-Bashir called on Syrians abroad to return home. Daily life is slowly returning, but at the same time, those who are now fearful for what may come next are planning their escape.

Elsewhere Syrian rebel forces say they have taken control of the oil-rich eastern city of Deir al-Zour from Kurdish forces as they try to secure the country's resources.

It comes as Israel confirmed it carried out attacks on Syria's naval fleet and conducted 350 air strikes as part of its efforts to neutralise military assets in the country.

On Sunday, a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels seized key cities before reaching Damascus and forcing Assad to flee, ending more than 50 years of his family's rule.