The BBC programme ‘A Dangerous Dynasty: House of Assad’ explores the story of the Assad dynasty and how President Bashar al-Assad’s father Hafez, who served as president from 1971 to 2000 would order civilians to do sick acts.
In 1970 Hafez took control of Syria and, according to the documentary, ran the country like a family business.
He forced female soldiers to bite the heads off snakes and forced soldiers to kill puppies at bloodthirsty military parades.
The programme said: “Hafez al-Assad was an old fashioned dictator, at his military parades, soldiers were forced to kill puppies in front of him, female soldiers were made to bite off the heads of snakes.”
Hafez would watch the soldiers so they would not have a choice but to carry out the sick orders.
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Former US Middle East Peace Envoy, Dennis Ross, said: “Hafez didn’t trust anybody, this is a guy who lives in a world of conspiracy and paranoia.”
President Barack Obama’s former secretary of defence, Leon Panetta, reveals Bashar al-Assad had a difficult relationship with his parents.
He said: “His mother was putting pressure on him to be like his father. And that he owed it to his father to fight for continuing power and not to just walk away.”
Bashar’s brother Bassel was destined to become the future leader of Syria and his mother Anisa was a strong figure in the family.
However, he died in a car crash in 1994 and Bashar became the new heir.
Since the civil war in Syria started in 2011, more than 465,000 Syrians have been killed and more than 12 million people have been displaced.
The series reveals more about the Assad family who have ended up running a regime accused of war crimes and gassing their own people.
It comes as Syria this week received missiles from Russia as a new way to secure the country.
The Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said: “Not only will Syria feel safe owing to supplies of S-300 air defence missile systems.
“The deployment of this defence weapon will help make the situation more stable and safe across the Middle East.”