Others bear a caricature of Hafez al-Assad who ruled Syria before his son, depicted in his underwear and chest puffed out. advertisement. AFP. Socks and satire: Syrians mock ousted Assad dynasty.

That was enough for the Assad regime to be suspicious. My father spent the first few months in Cell No. 4, a space meant for about three people. He recalled being there with 11 others.

He didn’t look like a dictator. Awkward and gangly, his mannerisms unassuming, at least until he opened his mouth, Bashar al-Assad exuded none of the machismo of other Arab strongmen like ...

An insurgency in late November and December overthrew long-time president al-Assad and ended Syria's uprising-turned-civil war that started in 2011. The former leader has taken refuge in Russia.

Syrian rebels seized Damascus on Sunday, and long-time President Bashar Assad fled the battle-scarred country amid the stunning collapse of his regime after 13 years of war. Assad and his family ...