Bashar al-Assad never intended to enter politics. The second son of Syrian ruler Hafez al-Assad, Bashar studied ophthalmology in Syria and London, aiming for a medical career. However, his path changed after his older brother Bassel’s death in a car crash in 1994. In 2000, Bashar, 35, inherited the presidency, raising doubts about his ability to navigate Syria’s complex tribal dynamics. Critics dismissed him as inexperienced, but he clung to power, supported by a brutal security apparatus.
The 2011 Arab Spring marked a turning point. Protests demanding democracy were met with violent crackdowns, leading to a civil war. Assad’s forces targeted civilians, including the infamous 2013 Sarin gas attack near Damascus, killing up to 1,700 people. This brutality isolated Assad internationally and deepened his reliance on allies Iran and Russia.
Iran provided Hezbollah fighters and Revolutionary Guard advisors, while Russia’s 2015 intervention with advanced weaponry helped Assad regain territory. Despite reclaiming much of Syria, the war triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises since World War II, with millions displaced. Meanwhile, rebel strongholds persisted in northwest Syria, notably led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadi group linked to al-Qaida.
In November 2024, with Russia preoccupied by its war in Ukraine and Iran weakened by regional conflicts, HTS-led rebels launched a decisive offensive. In just over a week, they captured Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and, finally, Damascus. On December 8, Assad fled to Russia, marking the end of his rule. His ouster was celebrated across Syria and the world, closing a dark chapter in the nation’s history.
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