Bashar al-assad net worth

But it came at a time when Assad's key allies were distracted by their own conflicts. Hezbollah had been devastated by Israel's offensive in Lebanon, Israeli strikes had eliminated Iranian military commanders and facilities in Syria, and Russia was focused on the war in Ukraine.

Without them, Assad's forces were left exposed.

The president vowed to "crush" the rebels after they quickly captured Aleppo. However, his military was unable to stop them taking Hama and Homs as they swept down the highway to Damascus.

On Sunday, Russia said Assad had stepped down and left Syria, hours after the rebels entered the capital and declared that "the tyrant" had fled.

Later, Russian media cited a Kremlin source as saying that he had flown to Moscow and been offered asylum on "humanitarian grounds".

There was no word from Assad himself, though, as Syrians celebrated on the streets and expressed disbelief at the dramatic close to five decades of dynastic rule.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad inherited power in July 2000, a month after his father, military strongman Hafez al-Assad died.

But since March 2011, his rule over Syria has been under threat, with the country beset by violence that has killed an estimated 465,000 people and embroiled regional and world powers in the never-ending horror.

Despite Western and Arab countries backing the opposition, Assad has survived seven years of war and refuses to step aside.

But who is he? This is what we know:

Medical student

• Ruling family: Born on September 11, 1965, Bashar al-Assad is the second son of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, and his wife Anisa.
• His father, Hafez, rose to power through the Syrian military and the minority Alawite political party before taking control of Syria in 1970.
• Studies: Bashar al-Assad was educated at the Arab-French al-Hurriya School in Damascus where he learned to speak English and French fluently.
• He graduated from school in 1982 and continued studying medicine at the University of Damascus, graduating in 1988.
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Bashar al-Assad

President of Syria from 2000 to 2024

In this Arabic name, the surname is Assad.

Bashar al-Assad^[b] (born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer, and former dictator^[1] who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until his government was overthrown in the Syrian Revolution in 2024. As president, Assad was commander-in-chief of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and secretary-general of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He is the son of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000.

In the 1980s, Assad became a doctor, and in the early 1990s he was training in London as an ophthalmologist. In 1994, after his elder brother Bassel al-Assad died in a car crash, Assad was recalled to Syria to take over Bassel's role as heir apparent. Assad entered the military academy and in 1998 took charge of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon begun by his father. On 17 July 2000, Assad became president, succeeding his father, who had died on 10 June 2000.^[2] Many hoped the UK-educat