Hafez al-Assad, the president of Syria, died in office on 10 June 2000 at the age of 69. His funeral was held three days later, with his son Bashar succeeding him as president.

Illness Assad's health began to deteriorate in late 1983 due to diabetes and varicose veins. He was taken to Al-Shami Hospital in Damascus and placed under intensive care. He then transferred his powers during his absence to a committee consisting of five members from his close circle.

Death and reactions Assad died from a heart attack on 10 June 2000. He was succeeded by Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam in a caretaker capacity until presidential elections were held. Several national leaders paid tribute as the leader's body lay in state in the People's Palace.

Following Assad's death, 40 days of mourning was declared in Syria and 7 days in Lebanon. Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Libya, Iran, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Kuwait and Qatar announced three days of national mourning.

Funeral Assad's funeral was held on 13 June in Damascus.

Dignitaries States

Country Dignitaries Crown Prince Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan President Abdelaziz Bouteflika President Robert Kocharyan Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa President Petar Stoyanov Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy President Jiang Zemin President Hosni MubarakMinister of Foreign Affairs Amr Moussa President Jacques Chirac Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Joschka Fischer President Mohammad Khatami Vice President Taha Muhie-eldin Marouf Minister of Foreign Affairs Yōhei Kōno King Abdullah II President Émile LahoudPrime Minister Salim al-HussSpeaker of Parliament Nabih Berri Emir Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Speaker of Parliament Abdelwahed Radi Minister of Foreign Affairs Jozias van Aartsen Chairman Yassir Arafat Prime Minister Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani Chairman of the State Duma Gennadiy Seleznyov Crown Prince and Regent Abdullah President Omar Hassan al-Bashir Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Joseph Deiss President Ahmet Necdet Sezer Foreign Secretary Robin Cook Secretary of State Madeleine Albright President Ali Abdullah Saleh

Organizations

Organization Dignitaries President of the European Commission Romano Prodi Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah

Burial

Assad was buried in a mausoleum in his hometown Qardaha in Latakia Governorate, beside his eldest son Bassel al-Assad who died in 1994.

On 11 December 2024, after the overthrow of his son Bashar following 13 years of civil war, rebels set fire and burned Hafez al-Assad's tomb inside the mausoleum. Videos of armed men burning Assad's grave and urinating on it were published online. On 28 April 2025, videos and photos on social media showed his grave being exhumed by unidentified individuals. His remains were reportedly transferred to an unknown location.

See also Hafez al-Assad Government Presidency of Hafez al-Assad

References

Works cited