Coronavirus kills businessman uncle of Syria’s Assad

Arab News (DAMASCUS)

Syrian businessman Mohamad Makhlouf, uncle of President Bashar Assad and father of top tycoon Rami Makhlouf, died on Saturday from Covid-19, two sources close to his family told AFP.

Makhlouf, 88, the maternal uncle of Assad, was once seen as a pillar of the regime of Hafez Assad, the late father of the current president.

His grandson, also called Mohamad Makhlouf, mourned his death in a message posted on Instagram.

Makhlouf, one of the most prominent Syrian businessmen during the 1970s and 1980s, was taken to hospital in the capital Damascus on August 23, local media reported.

His businesses had already long been handed over to his son Rami, who developed a commercial empire estimated at several billion dollars.

Rami Makhlouf was close to his cousin Assad, but earlier this year they fell out in a power struggle.