Rifaat al-Assad

Major General

Rifaat al-Assad
رفعت الأسد
Assad, c. 1980s
Vice President of Syria
In office
11 March 1984 – 8 February 1998
Serving with Abdul Halim Khaddam and Zuhair Masharqa
PresidentHafez al-Assad
Member of the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch
In office
15 April 1975 – 8 February 1998
Personal details
Born(1937-08-22)22 August 1937
Qardaha, Syrian Republic
Died20 January 2026(2026-01-20) (aged 88)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Political partyBa'ath Party
Spouse(s)Amira al-Assad
Sana' Makhluf
Rajaa Bakrat
Lina al-Khayer
ChildrenSiwar al-Assad
Ribal al-Assad
FatherAli al-Assad
RelativesJamil al-Assad (brother)
Hafez al-Assad (brother)
Bashar al-Assad (nephew)
Maher al-Assad (nephew)
Alma materDamascus University (BA), Soviet Academy of Sciences (PhD)
Military service
Allegiance United Arab Republic
(1958–1961)
Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963)
 Ba'athist Syria
(1963–1984)
Branch/service Syrian Arab Army
Defense Companies
Years of service1958–1984
Rank Major General
Commands Defense Companies
Battles/wars

Rifaat Ali al-Assad (Arabic: رِفْعَتُ عَلِيِّ ٱلْأَسَدِ, romanized: Rifʿat al-ʾAsad; 22 August 1937 – 20 January 2026) was a Syrian military officer and politician who was the Vice President of Syria from 1984 to 1998. He was the younger brother of the late President of Syria, Hafez al-Assad, and the uncle of former President Bashar al-Assad. He was known for being the commanding officer of the ground operations of the 1982 Hama massacre.[1][2]

1984 coup attempt

He led the failed coup attempt against his borther Hafez al-Assad in 1984.[3][4] Tens of thousands of soldiers with armored vehicles (some supported Rifaat, some supported Hafez) got together in the capital Damascus and were ready for a military fight.[5] Because of the division within the military, the coup failed and as a compromise, Rifaat was made vice president.[6][7][8]

However, after Rifaat became unhappy with the less powerful role as vice president, he chose to live in exile in Europe for 36 years and returned to Syria in October 2021.[9]

Criminal charges

In 2021, he found guilty in France of getting millions of euros diverted from Syria.[10][9] In September 2022, France's highest court, the Cour de Cassation, confirmed the ruling.[11]

In August 2023, Switzerland sent out a warrant for Rifaat's arrest after its Federal Criminal Court wanted him to be prosecuted for his role in the 1982 Hama massacre. The warrant was issued as part of a set of war crimes charges filed in 2013 by the human rights organization "TRIAL International" at the Swiss Office of Attorney General. In March 2024, the Swiss OAG charged Rifaat with many crimes done in the February 1982 Hama massacre.[12][13][14][15]

Later years

During the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Rifaat left for Lebanon before moving to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 26 December.[16] The next day, his daughter-in-law Rasha Khazem, the wife of his son Duraid Assad, was arrested along with her daughter Shams in Lebanon while they were trying to fly out to Egypt.[17]

Rifaat died on 20 January 2026 in Dubai from problems caused by the influenza at the age of 88.[8][7][18]

References

  1. ↑ "'The enforcer' who heads Syria's dreaded army division". FRANCE 24. 4 March 2012. Rifaat al-Assad is perhaps best-known for his role in personally overseeing the notorious 1982 Hama massacre, in which at least 10,000 people were killed.
  2. ↑ "Assad's cousin: West is right to back Syrian opposition, but it is backing the wrong one". Haaretz. 29 March 2012. Archived from the original on 8 June 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2026. every report from the period clearly puts Rifat at the center of the Hama operation
  3. ↑ Kifner, John (12 September 1984). "Assad's Brother exiled 'forever', Syrian declares". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023.
  4. ↑ Hamidi, Ibrahim (11 October 2021). "Rifaat Assad: Challenged his Brother for Syria's Presidency, Aged in Exile, Pardoned by his Nephew". Asharq al-Awsat. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023.
  5. ↑ Seale, Patrick (1995). Asad of Syria: the struggle for the Middle East (1. paperback print., rev ed.). Berkeley, Calif.: Univ. of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-06976-3.
  6. ↑ "Assad's brother reportedly exiled" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. 27 May 1984.
  7. 1 2 "Syria's Rifaat al-Assad, known as 'Butcher of Hama', dies at 88: Sources". New Indian Express. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Syria's Rifaat al-Assad, the 'butcher of Hama', dies at 88". Reuters. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Rifaat al-Assad: Syrian President's uncle jailed in France for money laundering". BBC News. 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  10. ↑ "Uncle of Syria's Assad returns home from decades-long exile". France 24. 8 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "French top court upholds prison sentence of Bashar al-Assad's uncle". Reuters. 2022-09-07. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  12. ↑ "War crimes in Syria: Switzerland Launches an international arrest warrant for the extradition of Rifaat al-Assad". Trial International. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023.
  13. ↑ "Swiss prosecutors issue arrest warrant for Rifaat al-Assad". SWI swissinfo.ch. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "Switzerland issues arrest warrant for uncle of Syria's Assad". The National. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "Syrian president's uncle to stand trial in Switzerland for crimes against humanity". France 24. 2024-03-12. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  16. ↑ "'Butcher of Hama': Assad's uncle Rifaat fled to Dubai, Lebanese officials say". Yahoo News. 27 December 2024. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  17. ↑ Sewell, Abby (27 December 2024). "Relatives of Bashar Assad arrested as they tried to fly out of Lebanon, officials say". AP News. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  18. ↑ "Rifaat al-Assad dies at the age of 89". Voice of Emirates. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.

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