Title: Protesters in Sweida Destroy Hafez Assad Statue and Tear Up Bashar Poster

Hundreds of angry protesters in southern Syria smashed a statue of late President Hafez al-Assad on Monday as they commemorated the assassination of a prominent Druze leader opposed to the government in 2015. Protests in Sweida province, where the Druze community constitutes a majority, have entered their third week. Initially driven by rising inflation and the deteriorating economy in the war-torn country, the focus of the protesters quickly shifted to demands for the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. A video captured by opposition activists showed protesters marching to the local social security branch and tearing down a large poster of Bashar al-Assad.