In first since regime fall, Syria’s Asma al-Assad breaks silence: What to know
In a series of posts on an X account attributed to her, Syria’s former first lady Asma al-Assad wished the Syrian people safety and said she will not intervene in political issues in the future.
An account allegedly belonging to Asma al-Assad, wife of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, posted a series of tweets on X on Sunday, marking what appears to be her first public comments since the Assad regime fell in Syria in December.
In her tweets, she stated that she had always remained "committed to silence" on political issues over the years and would continue to refrain from political involvement in the future.
“After a period of silence, it is time to start anew. Hope and change are constant; let's begin together,” she wrote in another tweet.
“Syria, with all its beauty and ancient history, remains in our hearts,” the former first lady added, while wishing the Syrian people “safety and prosperity.”
“بعد فترة من الصمت، حان الوقت للانطلاق من جديد. الأمل والتغيير لا يتوقفان، فلنبدأ معًا.”
— Asma Al Assad - أسماء الأسد (@AsmaFAlAkhras) February 16, 2025
During the Assad rule, Asma was active on social media, sharing photos and videos of herself participating in humanitarian activities, including visits to orphanages and interactions with local communities. This came at a time when the regime faced criticism for its brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters and human rights violations.
Asma was born to Syrian parents in London in 1975. She holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from King's College in London and worked in investment banking in the City of London financial district.
Asma moved to Syria in 2000 and married Bashar in December of that year, just months after he became president in July. The couple has three children: Hafez, Zein and Karim. In late December 2024, after the Assad family fled to Russia, reports emerged that Asma had filed for divorce from her husband, which the Kremlin denied.
Asma’s alleged new account was exposed by a fake Telegram account attributed to her son Hafez, which had earlier on Sunday published a video of him on the streets of Moscow
There is wide speculation about the authenticity of Asma’s and Hafez’s social media accounts.
Last Tuesday, an account bearing the name @HafezBAlAssad was suspended from X for violating the social media site’s rules, including a ban on accounts run by “perpetrators of terrorist, violent extremist or mass violent attacks.”
Before it was suspended, Hafez described his family’s last days in Damascus before the rebel takeover Dec. 8. He claimed his family did not initially plan to leave Syria but eventually decided to head to the Russian Khmeimim air base in Latakia upon the directive of a Russian official, from where they were planning to move to a presidential property in the Burj Islam area about 40 kilometers (24 miles) north of the base.
But, he continued, due to the deployment of rebels in the area and ensuing chaos, the family fled to Moscow onboard a Russian military plane.
These claims seemed to corroborate an earlier statement said to be written by Bashar and released on the Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel on Dec. 16.
In the statement, Bashar denied planning their departure from Syria during the battles in Damascus, saying they moved to the Russian base in Latakia to “oversee combat operations.”
But, the statement read, “Moscow requested that the base’s command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday, Dec. 8,” after it came under drone attacks.
Three days after Hafez’s X account was suspended, another account allegedly belonging to Bashar’s elder son emerged Feb. 13, with him tweeting, “Three days ago, the X platform banned my account a few hours after publishing the first post. I made several attempts to recover the account, but the platform administration refused to reactivate it without giving a clear reason.”
“All accounts that bear my name on the X platform are currently fake, except for this one that I will post from,” he added.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, Hafez said the “truth” will come out soon. “Time will tell. Soon, there will be videos explaining everything that happened, to clarify the facts,” he wrote in one post. In another post, Hafez said the “full story” will be revealed soon in a podcast that will share all the facts.
“قريبًا، ستسمعون القصة كاملة من المصدر نفسه. حلقة بودكاست ستكشف كل التفاصيل.”
— Hafez B AlAssad - حافظ الاسد (@HafezBAlAssadd) February 16, 2025
Former President Assad and his family fled to Russia after rebels, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, reached the gates of Damascus on Dec. 8. Their advance followed a swift offensive from Idlib against government-held areas in Syria. The Kremlin said at the time that President Vladimir Putin had granted asylum to Assad and his family.
The Assad family had ruled Syria with an iron fist since Hafez al-Assad assumed power in 1971. After his death in 2000, he was succeeded by his son Bashar. In 2011, anti-regime protests began in southern Syria, to which government forces responded with violence, triggering a long and brutal civil war across the country.
