Syrian businessman Mohamad Makhlouf, uncle of president Bashar Assad and father of top tycoon Rami Makhlouf, died today from COVID-19, two sources close to his family tell 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, mourns 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.
Since the start of the pandemic, Syria has officially recorded 3,476 cases of COVID-19, with 150 deaths registered in zones controlled by the Damascus government, according to health ministry figures.
The novel coronavirus has added to the woes of a nation ravaged by civil war since 2011.
Source : RT
