According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the fighters were foreigners belonging to the Islamist group Ansar al-Tawhid.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main Islamist faction that led the uprising that ousted President Assad on December 8, has had foreign fighters detained over the incident, the BBC reported.
Another video after the incident showed a religious leader from the ruling HTS holding a cross in a sign of solidarity and promising the crowd that the tree would be restored by morning.
This protest took place about two weeks after the Assad government fell on December 8.
European leaders welcomed the end of the Assad regime as a “positive development” for Syria and pledged to work with the new leadership to protect the rights of Syrians and prevent a rise in terrorism in the region.
