In 2011, a group of teenagers graffitied a warning on the wall of their schoolyard in the Syrian city of Daraa that would later prove prophetic: "You are next, doctor". The message was aimed at President Bashar al-Assad, a British-trained ophthalmologist who then seemed untouchable as the Arab Spring swept through authoritarian regimes across the Middle East.
Fourteen years later, after a war that has killed some 620,000 people and forced nearly 14 million Syrians from their homes, "the doctor's turn" is indeed coming. In early December 2024, Assad was overthrown and fled Syria at the last minute, withdrawing under Russian military protection and finding refuge in Moscow.
Today, the former leader of the last Baathist regime in the Middle East lives far from the spotlight. According to sources close to his family in the British newspaper "The Guardian", Assad has returned to his original profession and is studying ophthalmology again, while simultaneously improving his Russian language.
"This has always been his passion. He doesn't do it for the money," says a person from Assad's entourage. Even before the war, he regularly practiced medicine in Damascus, and now, according to sources, his potential patients could be part of the wealthy Moscow elite.
Luxury without influence
A year after the fall of the regime, the Assad family leads an isolated but comfortable life between Russia and the United Arab Emirates. According to information from Russia and Syria, as well as leaked data, the family probably lives in the prestigious Rublyovka district near Moscow - a gated complex for the political and economic elite, where former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych also settled earlier.
Financially, Assad is not experiencing difficulties. After the imposition of Western sanctions in 2011, much of the family's wealth was transferred to Russia, beyond the reach of Western regulators. However, the social and political isolation is palpable. Assad is cut off from his former allies, and Russian authorities are preventing him from maintaining contact with key figures from the old regime.
"His life is extremely quiet. He has almost no contact with the outside world," says a person close to the family. According to Kremlin sources, Assad is no longer of interest to Vladimir Putin or the Russian political elite. "Putin has no patience for leaders who lose power," summarizes a Russian source.
The flight and the rift with loved ones
Assad left Damascus in the early hours of December 8, 2024, along with his sons, as rebel forces advanced on the capital. He was escorted by Russian military personnel to the Khmeimim air base, from where he left the country. Many of his relatives and allies only learned of his escape after the fact.
According to people in the former regime, his brother Maher Assad - a key figure in the Syrian security structures - was left unanswered when he tried to contact him. "The rebels found his hookah still warm in the palace", says a source close to the family. It was Maher, not Bashar, who helped other figures in the regime escape.
The family in the shadow
After the escape, the family's focus has been on the health of Asma Assad - the former first lady of Syria, who has been battling leukemia for years. According to sources, she underwent experimental treatment in Moscow under the supervision of Russian services and her condition has stabilized.
The stabilization of her health opens a new page - Assad wants to tell "his version" of events. He plans to give interviews to RT and an American podcast, but for now, Russian authorities are not allowing him to make public appearances. The Russian ambassador to Iraq has openly stated that Assad has no right to participate in media or political activities.
A new life for the children
Assad's children are adapting more easily to the new reality. The only public moment for the family since the fall of the regime was the graduation of his daughter Zein Assad from the elite Moscow University MGIMO in June. The family attended, but discreetly, without public photos or demonstrations.
His sons Hafez and Karim also lead the lives of the Moscow elite, traveling frequently to the UAE and avoiding publicity. Hafez, once groomed to be the heir apparent, has largely withdrawn from social media since posting a video claiming Moscow ordered the family's flight.
The image that cracked
Since the regime's fall, social media has been flooded with photos found at Assad's properties - shots of his private life that contrast sharply with the cult of personality he has built over decades. For Syrians, it is the first crack in the image of a dictator who until recently was considered unchangeable.
"They have always been extremely secretive", says analyst Kamal Alam. "The fall of the regime simply made that secrecy visible."