Inside Bashar Al-Assad’s powerful family: His ‘ruthless’ mother, the brother-in-law linked to a high-profile assassination and his powerful sister who pulls strings behind the scenes

The downfall of Syria’s tyrant leader Bashar al-Assad has marked a dramatic end to over half a century of his family’s brutal rule.

Rebel groups, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, made significant lightening advances over the weekend, leaving Damascus vulnerable and causing the collapse of Assad’s once impenetrable government. 

Shifting power dynamics have long reflected who has control over the Middle Eastern nation, with Assad surprisingly thrown into the political role as a result of his elder brother being killed in a car crash.

Often described as a dictator, his power relied on not just his leadership and international allies, but on the unyielding support of his inner circle made up of family members.

This included his ‘ruthless’ mother, his sister, known as ‘the Iron Lady’, and his calculating brother-in-law, who is believed to be linked to a high-profile assassination.

But their once unified structure now falls under immense pressure as he reportedly fled Syria for Russia along with some family members after rebels gained control of the capital.

They left with no announcement, as other toppled Arab potentates did before them, supposedly with as much of their £2billion fortune as they could bring with them.

The only confirmation that Assad and his family were no longer either in power or in their homeland came not from any of his officials, but from his patrons in Moscow as reports emerged they have now been granted asylum in the Russian capital.

A family picture dated 1985 shows Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and his wife Anisa Makhlouf (seated) and, behind them, from R to L their five children: Bushra, born in 1960, Majd, born in 1967, Bassel (1962-94), Bashar, 1965, and the youngest, Maher, 1968

Assad and members of his family left Syria with no announcement on Sunday, as other toppled Arab potentates did before them, supposedly with as much of their £2billion fortune as they could bring with them after rebel groups gained control of Damascus

The ‘ruthless’ mother – Anisa Makhlouf

Anisa Makhlouf was the widow of the former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, and mother of Bashar al-Assad.

She was the Syrian First Lady from 1971 to 2000 and died aged 86 on February 16, 2016.

Although she was known to keep a low profile, Makhlouf is believed to have the ‘final say’ on all matters within the Assad family.

‘Decisions are made collectively in the family’s inner circle, but Anisa has the last say,’ said Wael al-Hafez, a member of the Syrian opposition in exile, according to the blog Les Martiennes. 

Makhlouf accompanied Hafez on ‘several business trips outside Syria’ one state media said in its obituary when she passed away eight years ago.

‘[She] was concerned with the issues of women, family affairs, martyrs, martyrs’ children, the elderly, and orphans, and alongside him was part of the process of establishing modern Syria throughout 30 years,’ it added.

Although the regime carefully crafted Makhlouf’s public profile, analysts believe she played a prominent role behind the scenes.

She was also seen as part of the old guard, and some have linked her to the regime’s ruthless suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011, through her relationship with her son, former Bashar al-Assad.

Former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad (left) with his wife Anisa Makhlouf (centre) and daughter Bushra (right), June 4, 1974

Hafez al-Assad with his wife Anisa Makhlouf and his children from left: Majd, Maher, Bashar, Bushra and Basel, June 4, 1974

Makhlouf (second from right) was known to keep a low profile, Makhlouf is believed to have the ‘final say’ on all matters within the Assad family

Makhlouf was also seen as part of the old guard, and some have linked her to the regime’s ruthless suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011. Pictured: Hafez al-Assad with his wife Anisa Makhlouf and his children from left: Majd, Maher, BaseL, Bushra and Bashar, June 4, 1974

The brutal crackdown confirmed that the young president would follow a path similar to his father when dealing with dissent.

‘What we know is restricted to people who fled the regime or what she said in public because she was a pretty reclusive figure. But what we can gather is that she was a driving force behind the family,’ said Chris Doyle, director of Caabu, a British-Middle East policy reform group.

‘She was crucial to Hafez’s assent to power in the first place. She came from a notable Alawi clan, which allowed him to go forward in terms of social mobility.’

The calculating brother-in-law –  Asef Shawkat

General Asef Shawkat was an Alawite military officer who married Assad’s sister Bushra in 1995.

He was initially rejected by the Assad family, but quickly built trust with them after curating a close friendship with the future Syrian president. 

Shawkat climbed through the military ranks, serving as Head of Military Intelligence, then Deputy Military Intelligence Chief, and later Chief of Military Intelligence until 2005. 

Despite facing a swathe of international controversies, he was reassigned as Deputy Chief-of-Staff in 2008. 

He was one of an inner circle of security chiefs focused on the Assad family, one of the top three in the regime, alongside the president’s younger brother Maher although he was not always in favour. 

Shawkat proved to be a dedicated and intrepid officer who earned respect. Syria’s former vice-president Abdul Halim Khadadam described him as a ‘smart, cultivated and courageous officer with great ambitions’. 

He, along with Maher, is linked to the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

He was named as a key suspect in a preliminary UN report on the assassination, after Hariri was killed in a suspected terrorist attack in Beirut on February 14.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (right), his brother Maher (left) and brother-in-law Major General Assef Shawkat (centre) stand during the funeral of late president Hafez al-Assad in Damascus in this June 13, 2000

He, along with Maher, is linked to the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri who was killed in a suspected terrorist attack in Beirut

Pictured from left: Syrian General Asef Shawkat (brother-in-law of Assad), Maher al-Assad (third from right), partially hidden is General Mustafa Hamdan, and Lebanese president Emile Lahoud, attending president Hafez al-Assad’s funeral in Qirdaha in 2000

The US Department of Treasury sanctioned Shawkat in 2006 for orchestrating the assassination, describing him as ‘a key architect’ of Syrian occupation in Lebanon.

The size and sophistication of the device used in the blast was considered to have involved a state intelligence agency, and United Nations investigators implicated Shawkat in the plot.

He was also implicated in the assassination of Imad Mughniyah in Damascus on 12 February 2008.

Shawkat was subsequently detained, and in July 2009, he was dismissed as head of military intelligence, ‘ridding the regime of the key suspect in the international investigation into Hariri’s assassination’, given the rank of general, and named as deputy chief of staff of the armed forces.   

He was also an officer in the notorious Defence Company paramilitary force. 

The military chief was also thought to be behind many of the regime’s clandestine activities outside Syria, which he carried out with brutal discipline. 

Shawkat was killed in a bomb attack at the headquarters of Syria’s national security bureau on July 18, 2012

His death, along with two other members of Assad’s inner circle, Defence Minister Dawoud Rajha and the Assistant Vice-President, Hassan Turkmani, dealt a grievous blow to Assad’s prospect of remaining in power.   

The powerful sister – Bushra al-Assad    

Bushra al-Assad, 64, was once considered one of the most eligible women in Damascus. 

After falling in love with Shawkat she annulled her engagement to Dr Muhssin Belal, Minister of Information and personal doctor to her father. 

Like her brother Maher, she is known as a hawk within the regime and plays a significant role as Assad’s secretary. 

Since the death of her brother Bassel al-Assad in 1994, Bushra was credited with increasing influence in Syria. 

She was reported to have played a major role in guiding the development of Syria’s pharmaceutical industry. 

Bushra was also reported to have worked for her late husband to gain acceptance and recognition.  

Assad’s sister has reportedly had a strained relationship with Assad’s wife, Asma. 

Bushra al-Assad, 64, was once considered one of the most eligible women in Damascus

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad family, left to right: Bushra, Majd, Bashar, Bassel and Maher President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria

According to former Syrian diplomat Mohammed Daoud, Bushra long prevented Asma from assuming the title of Syria’s ‘First Lady,’ a title she preferred to keep with her mother, Makhlouf.

Since Asma’s marriage to the Syrian president in 2000, Asma defied social conventions by frequently appearing in public and in the media. 

It was reported that Bushra disapproved of Asma taking such a public role.

After her husband Shawkat died, Bushra left Syria to live in the United Arab Emirates, a source close to the UAE government said in 2012.

‘Bushra al-Assad is a frequent visitor to the UAE. She comes here for personal and humanitarian reasons. She is currently in the UAE, on one of these visits, and has been here for some time,’ the source said at the time. 

Lebanese and Gulf officials also confirmed that Bushra had come to the United Arab Emirates with her five children following her husband’s death. 

In January 2013, she was joined by her mother in Dubai. 

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