Bassel al-Assad (Arabic: بَاسِلُ ٱلْأَسَدِ, romanized: Bāsil al-ʾAsad; 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 crash in 1994.[1]
Bassel al-Assad بَاسِلُ ٱلْأَسَدِ | |
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![]() Bassel al-Assad, c. 1992 | |
Native name | بَاسِلُ ٱلْأَسَدِ |
Nickname(s) | The Golden Knight |
Born | 23 March 1962 Damascus, Syria |
Died | 21 January 1994 Damascus, Syria | (aged 31)
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Years of service | 1980–1994 |
Rank | Colonel |
Unit | ![]() ![]() |
Commands held | 42nd Special Forces Regiment 12th Armoured Battalion, Syrian Arab Republican Guard. |
Awards | Hero of the Republic Order of Salahaddin |
Relations | al-Assad family |
Early life and education
Bassel al-Assad was born on 23 March 1962.[2] 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
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
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
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
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
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- The death of Bassel al Assad BBC World Service Witness episode