Syrian protesters topple Hafez al-Assad statue, residents and activists say

Protesters brought down the statue of the late father of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a main square in Jermana suburb, nearly ten kilometers from the centre of Damascus, a witness and activists told Reuters.

The protesters in the mainly Druze inhabited suburb, who called for the downfall of Assad, also headed to government buildings in the heavily policed area of the capital where several security branches are located, they said.

The protesters headed to security offices to demand they evacuate from their area, activist Ryan Marouf, editor of Suwayda 24, a website that covers the province, told Reuters.

The authorities have tolerated most protests by the country's Druze minority, unlike in other government-held areas where demonstrators are fired on by security forces.

In a rare act of defiance in areas under Assad's rule, protesters also tore down posters of Assad, where the party has promoted a personality cult around him and his late father, former president Hafez al-Assad.

Last night saw clashes in the predominately Druze city of Suweida that led to at least five people being killed when local Druze militias raided the city's main police station, overran security offices and freed prisoners from the main prison

In Deraa city to the west of Suweida city, where former rebels and dissidents took control after the army pulled out its troops, a statue of Assad was brought down last night, residents said, as people fired gunshots in celebration.