Rifaat al-Assad and the 1982 Hama Massacre

Rifaat al-Assad, the 89-year-old uncle of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, died in the UAE on January 21, 2026. Known as the “Butcher of Hama” for his role in the 1982 Hama massacre, he faced legal troubles in France for money laundering and was wanted in Switzerland for war crimes. After fleeing Syria following the regime’s collapse in December 2024, Rifaat had previously attempted a coup against his brother Hafez al-Assad in the 1980s before spending decades in exile. He returned to Syria in 2021 but fled again to Dubai before his death.

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