Rifaat al-Assad, former Syrian powerbroker, dies at 88
Rifaat al-Assad, nicknamed the “Butcher of Hama” for his role in the 1982 crackdown and younger brother of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, has died at 88
Rifaat al-Assad, the younger brother of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and a former military and political figure long associated with the 1982 Hama crackdown, has died at the age of 88, according to sources familiar with the matter. He passed away on Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates.
Rifaat was a key figure in the Assad family’s consolidation of power following the 1970 coup that brought Hafez al-Assad to the presidency.
He commanded elite units that crushed an Islamist uprising in Hama in 1982, a three-week operation that left thousands dead and earned him the nickname “the butcher of Hama.” Human rights organizations have described the assault as one of the deadliest acts of repression in modern Syrian history.
After al-Assad fell ill in the early 1980s, Rifaat sought to position himself as a successor. He briefly served as vice president and moved units into Damascus in 1984 in what was seen as a potential challenge to his brother’s authority.
The confrontation ended without armed conflict, and Rifaat went into exile, spending decades primarily in Europe.
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During his years abroad, Rifaat amassed significant wealth, residing in Switzerland, France, and Spain.
In 2020, a French court convicted him of using diverted state funds to purchase properties in France, ordering the seizure of assets valued at more than €100 million. He also faced planned war crimes proceedings in Switzerland related to his role in Hama. Rifaat consistently denied involvement in wrongdoing.
Rifaat returned to Syria in 2021 under Bashar al-Assad’s rule, reportedly to avoid imprisonment in France, but fled again in 2024 following Bashar’s ouster. According to sources, his escape involved crossing into Lebanon after being denied entry at a Russian airbase.
Throughout his life, Rifaat remained a polarizing figure: praised by some for his role in securing Assad rule, while condemned by many for the violence under his command. His death marks the end of an era for a man whose life was closely entwined with Syria’s modern political and military history.
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