Assad ruled Syria with iron fist before defeat in civil war

Bashar al-Assad ruled Syria for 24 years before his defeat in the civil war, which concluded in December 2024. His family had ruled the country for more than half a century with an iron fist. The conflict began in 2011, following the Arab Spring, when people demanded democracy and were met with deadly force. Assad seized power after the death of his father, Hafez, in 2000.

The Syrian military fought against rebel forces who demanded change. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations found that Assad's forces used chemical weapons like sarin and chlorine against rebels. He claimed to be a surgeon cutting into a wound, justifying his brutal tactics. Thousands died, cities were destroyed, and over a quarter of the population fled the country.

Assad's rule was unstable, as his army crumbled when Iran was distracted by a conflict with Israel and Russia was focused on its war in Ukraine. The transitional leadership that took power after Assad's fall found traces of a secret chemical weapons program. Assad consistently denied these accusations, suggesting the watchdog organization fabricated the reports.