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THIS is the moment Syrian Islamist rebels toppled a statue of Bashar al-Assad’s late brother in a chilling allusion to the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Separate footage showed militants tearing down and burning a Russian flag “for Allah” in a warning to Assad’s pal Vladimir Putin.
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Dozens of exiled fighters from the militant Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have launched a surprise offensive against Putin’s evil pal’s regime last week.
They managed to seize central Aleppo and now roam freely on the streets following a lightning-fast advance in the region.
On Saturday, video showed crowds around the Bassel al-Assad statue in Aleppo’s Basel Square before tearing down the former heir to Syria’s presidency from his horse.
The moment mirrors the symbolic toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
It could mark a powerful act of defiance against the Assad regime and its allies.
Bassed al-Assad was widely expected to succeed his father as President of Syria before he died in a car crash in 1994.
His younger dictator brother Bashar has since taken over the country, becoming allies with Mad Vlad since rising to power in 2000.
But rampaging rebels have now tore down a Russian flag, stamped on it, and burned the white, blue and red tricolour, declaring it was “Allah’s will”.
Forces hostile to Putin pal Assad also took over a facility for Russian military advisers at Aleppo military school.
Astonishing videos also show vast quantities of Russian military equipment falling into the hands of Syrian rebels.
Amongst the weaponry is a £12 million Russian Pantsir-S1 air defence system – of the type Vladimir Putin uses to guard his palaces against Ukrainian attack.
There were warnings it could be used to shoot down Putin’s warplanes seeking to hit back at rebels in Syria.
The rebels who wrong footed the Syrian army and their Russian backers also claimed an Mi-8 military helicopter as a trophy, along with a Uragan multiple launch rocket system, and an L-39 combat training aircraft.
They also claimed two ZU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled guns, a BM-21 Grad MLRS, a BTR-80, and one tank.
Much of the equipment may be Russian military hardware supplied to the Syrian army but the Pantsir system is likely to have been controlled by Putin’s forces.
Russian reports also indicate Putin’s military personnel have been killed and captured by rebels, in a further humiliation to the Russian dictator.
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The “heavy losses” appear to be the reason Putin summarily replaced his Syrian commander General Sergey Kisel with hard-line Colonel General Alexander Chaiko, who returns to his previous role.
The commander of the Russian Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseev, has also been seen at the Russian naval base in Syrian port Tartus, where Putin has a naval base.
This smacks of a sign of panic that Tartus could be in jeopardy.
UNDER PRESSURE
Experts say that Putin will be tearing his hair out as he watches Syrian rebels overthrow his close dictator pal President Assad.
Russia’s tyrant is facing a worrying dilemma with him now fighting on two fronts with his illegal invasion of Ukraine still faltering and the recent rise of bloodshed in Syria.
Ukrainian intelligence claimed that “after three days of successful offensive actions by pro-Turkish forces in Syria, Russian troops suffered significant losses”.
There were claims that “hundreds of Moscow troops are listed as missing in Syria”.
Advancing rebel forces have captured swathes of northern Syria after launching a shock offensive to seize Aleppo last week in a brutal blow to evil leader Assad.
His closest ally Putin was left scrambling to protect his precious pal’s regime.
He quickly launched two rounds of aerial revenge strikes in a desperate attempt to halt the surging rebels as they headed south.
This has left Putin and his men badly overstretched as they continue to battle for territory in Ukraine on all fronts.
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