Bushra Assad, Syrian President Bashar Assad's
sister, has fled Syria
with her children, Al-Arabiya reported Tuesday.
Bushra's husband Assef Shawqat, who was the deputy chief of staff of the Syrian Armed Forces, was killed by opposition forces in Damascus on July 18. It should be noted that several weeks ago, Al-Arabiya reported that Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa had defected to Jordan, a report that was later revealed as untrue.
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Earlier this week, opposition website www.All4Syria.info reported that Bushra, 51, had left Syria to Dubai, where she enrolled her children at school. The report said that Bushra had previously lived in the UAE during a brief rift with her brother, Bashar.
Pro-Syrian Lebanese Arabic daily Ad-Diyar also reported that Bushara, a trained pharmacist, was planning to travel to Dubai but did not mention whether she intends to make it her new home.
A Syrian source told Al-Arabiya that Assad's sister had escaped Syria amid reports of “rising disputes” within the Alawite sect, to which the president and the vast majority of his powerful military, intelligence and government figures belong.
Bushra had apparently grown more worried about her and her children's safety after the death of her husband Shawqat, who was also the former head of the Syrian Military Intelligence, the source said, adding that a “Quasi-Coup taking place” within the ranks of the Alawite leaderships has prompted Bushra to flee the country.
On Saturday it was reported that Youssef Assad,
a Syrian air force officer and a relative of Assad's had defected and joined the opposition.
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