Syrian President Assad’s mother dies, aged 86

A handout made available by the Presidency of the Republic of Syria shows Anisa Makhlouf, widow of the late Syrian President Hafez Al Assad, who died in Damascus on February 6.

BEIRUT // Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s mother, Anisa Makhlouf, has died at the age of 86, Syrian state media said on Saturday.

Makhlouf was married to the late president Hafez Al Assad, who ruled Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000.

They married in 1957 and had five children: Bushra, Basil, Bashar, Majed and Maher.

* Reuters