Alawites fear for future after fall of ‘protector’ Bashar al-Assad
On Wednesday, rebels with the Islamist group that overthrew the regime, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), burned the tomb of Assad’s father, Hafez, who ruled Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000. The rebels, however, have so far pursued dialogue over any persecution of the Alawites as a whole.