Asma al-Assad, wife of deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is reportedly battling leukemia, an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow and blood, and has a 50-50 chance of survival. The British-born former first lady has been isolated to minimize the risk of infection and is undergoing treatment, reported The Telegraph.
According to the report, Asma has previously battled breast cancer in 2019. She had declared herself cancer-free after a year of treatment. But the blood cancer is believed to have reappeared after a period of remission, the report said.
Born in London in 1975 to Syrian parents, Asma al-Assad has a dual British-Syrian citizenship. She completed degrees in computer science and French literature at King’s College London before pursuing a career in investment banking. Asma married Bashar al-Assad in December 2000. The couple has three children: Hafez, Zein, and Karim.
Asma has reportedly sought to exile herself in London with her children since the Syrian uprising began. Reports suggested that she has also filed for divorce from the ousted Syrian President as she is “dissatisfied” with her life in Moscow. However, the Kremlin has rejected the reports, saying, “No they do not correspond to reality”.
She has also allegedly applied to a Russian court seeking special permission to leave the country, with her application currently under review by Russian authorities.
Bashar al-Assad, along with his family, fled Syria on December 8 following an 11-day rebel offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), after years of civil war sparked by his violent crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011. The war has killed over 500,000 people and displaced more than half the country’s population.
Assad, now residing under asylum in Moscow, is reportedly facing severe restrictions imposed by Russian authorities. While his asylum request was accepted, he is prohibited from leaving Moscow or engaging in political activities. The Russian authorities have also reportedly frozen his assets – a claim denied by the Kremlin.
