The mausoleum of Hafez Assad, who ruled Syria for decades before his death and succession by his son Bashar Assad in 2000, was stormed and set on fire in his hometown of Qardaha, according to footage verified by reporters.
A vast, elevated structure with intricate architecture and ornamentation, it was located in the Latakia region, the heartland of the Assad's Alawite community.
Videos showed rebel fighters and young locals watching it burn.
The elder Assad took power in the second half of the 20th century by participating in multiple coups following Syria's independence from France.
His elder son, Bassel, was initially being groomed to take over from his father, but he died in a car accident in 1994.
Bashar took power when Hafez died in June 2000.