Bashar al-Assad never expected to be a head of state. The second son of President Hafez al-Assad, Bashar was studying ophthalmology in London when his older brother and heir apparent Basil was killed in a car accident. Bashar was immediately enrolled in the Homs military academy, north of Damascus, and groomed for the highest office. He came into power in 2000 after the death of his father.
[1] Alawite, a sect of Shia Islam.
Father: Hafez al-Assad (President of Syria, d. 2000)
Brother: Basil al-Assad (d. 1994 car crash)
Wife: Asmaa al-Akhras (British national)
Son: Hafez (b. Dec-2001)
Daughter: Zein (b. Oct-2003)
Son: (b. 16-Dec-2004)
Medical School: Ophthalmology, Tishrin Military Hospital, Damascus (1992)
President of Syria 17-Jul-2000 to present
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