DAMASCUS: Rifaat Assad, uncle of deposed Syrian ruler Bashar Assad and dubbed the “Butcher of Hama” for suppressing an uprising in the 1980s, has died aged 88, two sources close to the family said Wednesday.
Once a pillar of the Assad family’s dynastic rule, Rifaat “died after suffering from influenza for around a week,” one source who worked in Syria’s presidential palace for over three decades told AFP.
A second source, an ex-officer of Syria’s army in the Assad era, confirmed the death, saying Rifaat had moved to the United Arab Emirates after his nephew’s government was toppled by rebels in December 2024, without specifying if he died there.
Rifaat’s role in a February 1982 massacre as part of a crackdown on an armed revolt by Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood earned him the nickname “the Butcher of Hama,” referring to the central Syrian city.
His brother Hafez Assad, who ruled Syria at the time, launched the campaign, which government forces carried out under the command of Rifaat, who was the head of the elite “Defense Brigades.”
The death toll from 27 days of violence, which took place under a media blackout, has never been formally established, though estimates range from 10,000 to 40,000.
Swiss prosecutors had accused Rifaat of a long list of crimes, including ordering “murders, acts of torture, inhumane treatment and illegal detentions” while an officer in the Syrian army.
He also served as vice president under his brother Hafez but went into exile in 1984 after a failed attempt to overthrow him, moving to Switzerland then France.
He later presented himself as an opponent of his nephew Bashar, who succeeded Hafez in 2000.
In 2021, he returned to Syria from France to escape a four-year prison sentence for money laundering and misappropriation of Syrian public funds.
Two years later, he appeared in a family photo alongside Bashar, the ruler’s wife Asma and other relatives.
Shortly after Bashar’s ouster, Rifaat crossed into Lebanon and then flew out of Beirut airport, a Lebanese security source said at the time, without specifying his final destination.
Syria’s Rifaat Assad, ‘Butcher of Hama’, dies aged 88, sources say
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Syria’s Rifaat Assad, ‘Butcher of Hama’, dies aged 88, sources say
- Once a pillar of the Assad family’s dynastic rule, Rifaat “died after suffering from influenza for around a week“
- Swiss prosecutors had accused Rifaat of a long list of crimes
About 50,000 worshippers perform Taraweeh prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Palestinians are observing Ramadan amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank
- Over 300 Jerusalemites have recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the fasting month
LONDON: Nearly 50,000 worshippers performed the Isha and Ramadan Taraweeh prayers on Sunday evening at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem.
Thousands of Palestinians gathered at Al-Aqsa despite facing Israeli military checkpoints and strict identity checks at the mosque’s gates, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
Palestinians are observing the fasting month of Ramadan, which began last Wednesday, amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, including attacks by settlers, and Israeli raids and arrests.
Over 300 Jerusalemites have recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, the Wafa news agency reported.
Israeli forces have increased their military presence in Jerusalem and restricted access to Al-Aqsa to children under 12, men over 55, and women over 50.
Since Wednesday, thousands of Palestinians have lined up to pass through military checkpoints, including Qalandiya and Bethlehem, in hopes of attending prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.
