Rifaat Al-Assad's Wife Dies in Damascus

Salma Makhlouf, wife of Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has lived in France for decades, died in Damascus.

The funeral is scheduled for tomorrow morning to her final resting place in Qardaha in Lattakia countryside.

The obituary stated that Salma died on Friday at the age of 84, and her body will be moved and buried tomorrow morning from Al-Razi Hospital in Damascus to Qardaha.

Duraid, the eldest son of Rifaat and Salma, published on his personal page a copy of the obituary published by the Al-Assad and Makhlouf families.

The obituary mentioned the name of the late Rifaat's husband, who held important positions during the era of the late President Hafez al-Assad, the most prominent of which was the commander of the Defense Brigades.

[caption id="attachment_250906" align="aligncenter" width="800"] A family picture dated 1985 shows Syria’s late president Hafez al-Assad and his wife Anissa Makhlouf (seated) and, behind them, from R to L their five children: Bushra, Majd, the late Bassel, current president Bashar, and the youngest son, Maher.(AFP)[/caption]

As mentioned in the obituary, in addition to Duraid al-Assad, the names of his half-brothers from his father are Mudar, Firas, Sumer, Siwar and Ribal al-Assad.

The latter also mourned his stepmother on Facebook. Among the names included in the obituary is Rifaat al-Assad.