Eldest son of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad
Bassel al-Assad
(
Arabic
:
??????? ?????????
,
romanized
:
B?sil al-?Asad
; 23 March 1962 – 21 January 1994) was a
Syrian
engineer, colonel, equestrian and politician who was the eldest son of
Syrian President
Hafez al-Assad
and the older brother of (later) President
Bashar al-Assad
. It was widely expected that he would succeed his father as President of Syria until he died in a car accident in 1994.
[1]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Bassel al-Assad was born on 23 March 1962.
He was trained as a civil engineer, and he held a
PhD
in
military sciences
.
[3]
[4]
He said about his childhood:
We saw father at home but he was so busy that three days could go by without us exchanging a word with him. We never had breakfast or dinner together, and I don't remember ever having lunch together as a family, or maybe we only did once or twice when state affairs were involved. As a family, we used to spend a day or two in
Lattakia
in the summer, but then too he used to work in the office and we didn't get to see much of him.
[5]
Career
[
edit
]
Trained in
parachuting
, he was commissioned in the
Special Forces
and later switched to the armoured corps after training in the
Soviet Military Academies
.
[4]
He rapidly progressed through the ranks, becoming a major and then commander of a brigade in the
Republican Guard
.
[6]
[7]
After his father recovered from a serious illness in 1984, Bassel began to accompany him and he emerged on the national scene in 1987, when he won several
equestrian
medals at a regional tournament.
[8]
[7]
The
Ba'ath Party
press in Syria eulogised him as the "Golden Knight" because of his prowess on horseback.
[9]
He also had a reputation for an interest in fast cars, and his friends described him as charismatic and commanding.
[10]
[11]
Assad was soon appointed Head of Presidential Security.
[12]
[13]
In addition, he launched the
Syrian Computer Society
in 1989, which was later headed by Bashar.
[14]
Originally Assad's uncle,
Rifaat al-Assad
, was Hafez's chosen successor but Rifaat attempted to usurp power from Hafez while the latter was in a coma in 1984. This led to Rifaat's exile.
[4]
Following the incident, Bassel was groomed to succeed his father.
[15]
[16]
Hafez's efforts intensified to make Bassel the next
President of Syria
in the early 1990s;
[4]
after Hafez's election victory in 1991, the President was publicly referred to as "Abu Basil" (Father of Bassel).
[17]
Assad was also being introduced to European and Arab leaders; he was a close friend of the children of
King Hussein of Jordan
, especially
Haya bint Hussein
who also enjoyed equestrianism,
[18]
and had been also introduced to
King Fahd of Saudi Arabia
.
[9]
Assad had a significant role in Lebanese affairs, and was known to Lebanese leaders of all sects.
[
citation needed
]
He organised a highly publicised anti-corruption campaign within the government and frequently appeared in full military uniform at official receptions to signal the government's commitment to the armed forces.
[10]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Aside from his native
Arabic
, Bassel is said to have spoken
French
and
Russian
fluently.
[9]
According to
leaked United States diplomatic cables
, he had a relationship with a Lebanese woman, Siham Asseily
[19]
who later married Lebanese journalist and deputy
Gebran Tueni
.
[
citation needed
]
His older sister,
Bushra
, could not marry
Assef Shawkat
until his death, as he rejected that marriage.
[
citation needed
]
Death
[
edit
]
On 21 January 1994, while he was driving his luxury
Mercedes
at a high speed (author
Paul Theroux
reports Bassel was driving at 240 kilometers per hour (150 mph) through fog to
Damascus International Airport
for a privately chartered flight to
Frankfurt
,
Germany
, on his way to a ski vacation in the
Alps
in the early hours of the morning),
[20]
[21]
[22]
Bassel collided with a barrier and, not wearing a
seatbelt
, died instantly.
[10]
[23]
Hafez Makhlouf
was with him and was hospitalized with injuries after the accident, and a chauffeur in the back seat was unhurt.
[23]
[10]
Assad's body was taken to
Al Assad University Hospital
and then buried in
Qardaha
, where his father's body was also later buried.
[21]
[24]
Legacy
[
edit
]
After his death, shops, schools and public offices in Syria closed, and the sale of alcohol was suspended in respect.
[7]
He was elevated by the state into "the martyr of the country, the martyr of the nation and the symbol for its youth".
[7]
A great number of squares and streets were named after him. The new international swimming complex, various hospitals, sporting clubs and a military academy were named after him. The international airport in
Latakia
was named after him,
Bassel Al-Assad International Airport
. His statue is found in several Syrian cities, and even after his death, he is often pictured on
billboards
with his father and brother.
[7]
He also has an equestrian statue in
Aleppo
,
[25]
and formerly in
Chtaura
, Lebanon.
[26]
On 17 November 2020, a museum dedicated to him was inaugurated at the
Latakia Sports City
.
[27]
Bassel Assad's death led to his lesser-known brother
Bashar al-Assad
, who was then undertaking postgraduate training in
ophthalmology
in
London
, assuming the mantle of president-in-waiting. Bashar became President following the
death of his father
, on 10 June 2000.
[28]
[29]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Bashar al-Assad: behind the mask"
.
Financial Times
. 15 June 2012.
Archived
from the original on 11 December 2022
. Retrieved
5 June
2022
.
- ^
"Assad son dies in car accident"
.
Rome News Tribune
. 21 June 1994
. Retrieved
13 July
2012
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Ghadbian, Najib (Autumn 2001).
"The New Asad: Dynamics of Continuity and Change in Syria"
(PDF)
.
Middle East Journal
.
55
(4). Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 12 December 2018
. Retrieved
19 August
2013
.
- ^
in conversation with
Patrick Seale
, 1988
"Mid-East Realities"
.
Middle East
. 11 June 2000
. Retrieved
9 March
2013
.
- ^
Zisser, Eyal (September 1995).
"The Succession Struggle in Damascus"
.
Middle East Forum
.
2
(3): 57?64
. Retrieved
14 July
2012
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Sipress, Alan (8 November 1996).
"Syria Creates Cult Around Its President's Dead Son Bassel Assad"
.
Inquirer
. Retrieved
13 July
2012
.
- ^
Kathy A. Zahler (1 August 2009).
The Assads' Syria
. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 71.
ISBN
978-0-8225-9095-8
. Retrieved
12 March
2010
.
- ^
a
b
c
Fisk, Robert (22 January 1994).
"Syria mourns death of a 'golden son'
"
.
The Independent
. Retrieved
13 June
2012
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Schmidt, William E. (22 January 1994).
"Assad's Son Killed in Auto Crash"
.
New York Times
. Retrieved
27 August
2013
.
- ^
Bennet, James (10 July 2005).
"The Enigma of Damascus"
(PDF)
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
21 July
2012
.
- ^
Boustany, Nora (22 January 1994).
"Car crash kills Assad's son"
.
The Daily Gazette
. Retrieved
24 March
2013
.
- ^
Edwards, Alex (July?August 2012).
"Understanding Dictators"
(PDF)
.
The Majalla
.
1574
: 32?37. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 30 July 2013
. Retrieved
4 April
2013
.
- ^
Alterman, Jon B. (1998).
"New Media New Politics?"
(PDF)
.
The Washington Institute
.
48
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 13 May 2013
. Retrieved
7 April
2013
.
- ^
Brownlee, Jason (Fall 2007).
"The Heir Apparency of Gamal Mubarak"
(PDF)
.
Arab Studies Journal
: 36?56. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 4 April 2012
. Retrieved
2 March
2013
.
- ^
Hemmer, Christopher (n.d.).
Syria Under Bashar Asad: Clinging To His Roots?
(PDF)
. CPC. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 5 October 2018
. Retrieved
13 March
2013
.
- ^
Cook, Steven A. (December 1996).
"On the Road: In Asad's Damascus"
.
Middle East Quarterly
: 39?43
. Retrieved
24 March
2013
.
- ^
"Basel al-Assad with Princess Haya of Jordan in an equestrian tournament - 1993"
.
Syrian History
.
- ^
"Biography; from wiki (Gebran Tueni) ref for 'His second spouse was Siham Asseily'
"
. Naharnet. Archived from
the original
on 7 June 2012
. Retrieved
10 June
2012
.
- ^
Theroux, Paul (1996).
The Pillars of Hercules, page 416
.
ISBN
978-0-14-025314-6
.
- ^
a
b
Bell, Don (November 2009).
"Shadowland"
.
National Geographic
. Archived from
the original
on 27 October 2009
. Retrieved
9 March
2013
.
- ^
"Basil Assad killed in car crash"
.
The Press Courier
. 21 January 1994
. Retrieved
27 August
2013
.
- ^
a
b
Sipress, Alan (22 January 1994).
"Assad's Son is Killed in a Car"
.
Inquirer
. Retrieved
27 August
2013
.
- ^
"Hafez Al Assad passes away"
.
Ain al Yaqeen
. 16 June 2000. Archived from
the original
on 2 May 2014
. Retrieved
9 March
2013
.
- ^
"Bassel al-Assad in Syria"
.
Equestrian Statue
. 6 April 2016.
- ^
"Bassel al-Assad in Lebanon"
.
Equestrian Statue
. 6 April 2016.
- ^
"?????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ??????? ???????? ?????????"
.
SANA
(in Arabic). 17 November 2020.
- ^
Zisser, Eyal (June 2006).
"What does the future hold for Syria?"
(PDF)
.
MERIA
.
10
(2). Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 20 March 2014
. Retrieved
14 July
2012
.
- ^
"Nepotism, cronyism, and weakness in Arabdom"
.
MER
. 7 September 1998
. Retrieved
13 July
2012
.
External links
[
edit
]