Moscow: Bashar al-Assad, the former president of Syria, who fled to Russia after his government was overthrown by rebels, was reportedly poisoned in an assassination attempt in Moscow.
According to a claim by the British newspaper The Sun, the 59-year-old Assad fell seriously ill on Sunday after being poisoned. An online account, believed to be run by a former high-ranking Russian intelligence officer, reported that Assad sought medical help when he experienced severe coughing and difficulty breathing.
Sources indicate that the poisoning was part of an attempt to assassinate the former Syrian president. After falling ill, Assad was treated in his apartment, and by Monday, his condition was said to have stabilized.
Medical tests revealed that Assad had been poisoned, although the exact method of the assassination attempt remains unclear.
There has been no immediate response from Russian authorities regarding the claims. Additionally, The Sun report did not specify how the poisoning was carried out.
This incident follows recent reports that Assad’s wife has been diagnosed with blood cancer, adding to the turmoil surrounding the former leader.
