Bashar al-Assad was born in 1965 in Damascus, Syria.

He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Damascus University in 1988 and later began working as a doctor in the Syrian military.

Initially, Bashar al-Assad was not meant to succeed his father and take power in Syria. This trajectory only began after the death of his elder brother, Bassel, in a car accident near Damascus in early 1994.

In 1998, Assad joined the military academy and took responsibility for Syria’s occupation of Lebanon.

In addition to Arabic, Bashar al-Assad is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.

Bashar al-Assad, the 19th president of Syria, once said in a speech: "In the war, you lose areas, but you recapture another area. So, it is difficult to tell whether you are losing or gaining or it was a standstill. No-one has this answer. But definitely, after the Russian intervention and supporting the Syrian Army, legally of course, we felt much, much better. We captured many main cities, many main positions at the expense of the terrorists' areas."

His father, Hafez al-Assad, ruled Syria before him from 1971 until his death in 2000.

Hafez al-Assad passed away on June 10, 2000, in Damascus due to a heart attack.
After Hafez al-Assad's death, the 34-year-old Bashar was swiftly appointed as president.
Bashar al-Assad served as the president of Syria from January 17, 2000, to December 8, 2024, and was the 19th president of the country.

Shortly after the start of Bashar al-Assad's presidency, cultural and political reforms were introduced in Syria, which became known as the "Damascus Spring."

"The Assad family ruled Syria for around 50 years. The Assad family maintained an authoritarian and dictatorial government, and in history, tyrants and dictators always fall. The Assad regime also collapsed," said Wahed Faqiri, an international relations expert.

With the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, questions arise about what challenges the Middle East will face, and how will this impact the countries in the region.

"If war begins and the situation spirals out of control, it is natural that its effects will be felt by neighboring countries, the wider region, and the Middle East," said Najib Rahman, a political analyst.

Ultimately, after 24 years of Bashar al-Assad’s rule, Damascus fell to his opponents with little resistance from the army and collapsed.