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Syria's Rifaat al-Assad, the 'butcher of Hama', dies at 88

Middle East News

21-01-2026 | 06:13

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Syria's Rifaat al-Assad, the 'butcher of Hama', dies at 88

Rifaat al-Assad, the brother of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad known by critics as the "butcher of Hama" for crushing an Islamist uprising in the city in 1982 before unsuccessfully challenging for power and going into exile, died on Tuesday.

He was 88. He died in the United Arab Emirates, two sources with knowledge of his passing said.

A former army officer who helped Hafez al-Assad seize power in a 1970 coup and establish his iron rule, Rifaat continued to harbour presidential ambitions during years of exile spent mostly in France.

He returned to Syria in 2021, before fleeing again in 2024 following the ouster of his nephew, President Bashar al-Assad.

Reuters

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