DAMASCUS, (Reuters) – Crowds set fire to a headquarters of the ruling Baath Party in the Syrian city of Deraa yesterday, residents said, as the wave of unrest in the Arab world shook even one of its most authoritarian states.
The demonstrators also set ablaze the main courts complex and two phone company branches. One of the firms, Syriatel, is owned by President Bashar al-Assad’s cousin Rami Makhlouf.
“They burned the symbols of oppression and corruption,” an activist said. “The banks nearby were not touched.”
Assad, who has strengthened Syria’s ties with Shi’ite Iran as he sought to improve relations with the United States and strike a peace deal with Israel to return the Golan Heights, is facing the biggest challenge to his rule since he succeeded his late father, Hafez al-Assad, 11 years ago.
He has sent government officials to try to placate Deraa but thousands rallied to demand an end to emergency law in the southern city, on the third consecutive day of protests against Syria’s ruling Baath Party.
