Alpha News

Where is the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad?

Published January 6, 2026, 21:08

Rumors are intensifying regarding the health of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as he has not appeared publicly for eight days. The rumors began after reports of gunfire at the Presidential Palace in Damascus on December 30th, without official explanation from Syrian authorities. Turkish analyst Hüsnü Mahalli, citing Syrian and Turkish sources, reported that a fight broke out between two members of the presidential guard, resulting in a shootout and the injury of al-Assad. According to the rumors, the Syrian president was urgently transferred to a hospital in Turkey due to the severity of his condition. Kurdish media outlets in Syria are circulating various scenarios, including al-Assad being injured and hospitalized in a Syrian or Turkish hospital, or even his death. In contrast, Syrian state media have dismissed the rumors, claiming that al-Assad is not making public appearances by his own choice and will appear when he deems it appropriate. The Syrian Ministry of Interior issued a statement denying the rumors of al-Assad's death, but did not provide information about his health condition. The president's absence from the public sphere and the conflicting reports have caused intense uncertainty and speculation about his fate.