Hafez al-Assad
1930 – 2000 Syrian military officer, President of Syria
Air force officer who seized power and founded Syria's Assad dynasty.
- Religion
- Alawite (a branch of Shia Islam).
- Affiliations
- President of Syria for 30 years; leader of the Ba'ath Party; founder of the Assad ruling family.
His father changed the family surname from al-Wahhish, meaning 'the wild one', to al-Assad, meaning 'the lion'. He rose through the air force and the Ba'ath Party, took power in a 1970 coup and ruled Syria for three decades, crushing dissent such as the 1982 Hama uprising and grooming his son to succeed him.
Connections
- family of Bashar al-Assad — His father, whom he succeeded.
- family of Bashar al-Assad — His son and successor as president.