Former Syrian Vice President Rifat al-Assad has died at the age of 88.

Rifat Assad, the former vice president of Syria from 1984 to 1998 and the uncle of former President Bashar al-Assad, has died at the age of 87. This was reported on January 21 by the Syria TV channel.

"Rifat al-Assad <...> died on Wednesday at the age of 87," the article says.

The TV channel did not specify the circumstances of his death.

Rifat al-Assad was the younger brother of Hafez al-Assad, who led Syria from 1971 to 2000. Since 1984, Rifat al-Assad has lived abroad after the failed coup attempt, while officially continuing to hold a post in the Syrian government. In 2021, Bashar al-Assad allowed his uncle to return to Syria on the condition that he would not engage in political activities.

Lawsuits were filed against Rifat al-Assad in Spain, France and Switzerland on charges of corruption and war crimes, but the cases were dismissed due to his health. According to Arab media, after the change of power in Syria in December 2024, Rifat Assad moved to Beirut.

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