Syrian singer Jamal Assaf, a staunch supporter of ousted president Bashar Assad who was known for praising his forces and was sometimes referred to as “Assad’s singer,” was killed over the weekend in an exchange of fire with security forces of Syria’s new government led by Ahmad al-Sharaa.
After reports of Assaf’s death circulated overnight between Saturday and Sunday, Syria’s Interior Ministry issued an official statement Sunday afternoon saying Assaf was part of a smuggling network targeted by government forces and was killed during the operation.
Assaf Jamal
According to authorities in Damascus, internal security forces had been tracking the smuggling ring and launched a raid at a location in the al-Fardous neighborhood of Aleppo where one of its members was believed to be staying. That individual was later identified as Assaf.
The Interior Ministry said that during the raid, the wanted suspect opened fire on security forces, who returned fire at the source of the shooting and “neutralized” him. One member of the Syrian security forces was seriously wounded in the operation.
During Assad’s rule, Assaf gained prominence for inflammatory rhetoric against the former president’s opponents. He publicly called for the use of military force against cities where rebels were active and urged attacks on Idlib, a major rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria, including the use of so-called barrel bombs, improvised explosives dropped from aircraft that became a hallmark of the conflict.
According to SyriaTV, Assaf on several occasions boasted that he had taken part in fighting alongside Assad’s forces. The channel cited two of his songs, “Your Revolution Is a Revolution of Thugs” and “Idlib Will Pay the Price,” as examples of his pro-government messaging.
Some reports said that after Assad’s government fell, Assaf attempted to portray himself as having changed his position and claimed to support the uprising that led to Assad’s removal, though few appeared convinced by the shift.