Syrian President Bashar al-Assad interrupted a speech to parliament after he began to feel – and told lawmakers he “should sit for a minute.”
The moment happened when the 54-year-old Ba’ath Party leader sat for about 30 minutes in his remarks on Wednesday.
Assad began to appear weak and stopped his speech, in which he drank US sanctions against Syria, twice over water.
A short time later, the Syrian ruler – who is also a trained doctor – said “My blood pressure has dropped and I have to drink water.”
“I have to sit for a minute, if you don’t mind, just one minute,” he added moments later.
Assad then left the hall, where he delivered his remarks and returned an unclear amount of time later to applause from members of parliament.
Once back on stage, Assad joked that “doctors are the worst patients.”
He went out to explain that he has not eaten since Tuesday afternoon.
“I have no sugar or salt and this is happening,” he remarked.
A spokesman for Assad’s office said on Wednesday that the speech had been stopped for “several minutes” as a result of Assad suffering from a “mild” case of low blood pressure. She added that he continued the speech without issue after the incident.
It is not known if Assad has any underlying health conditions.
He made his remarks as members of parliament wore masks and maintained social distance, sitting six feet apart in a space in front of a conference hall.
Coronavirus infections have increased in the country, despite a generally confirmed case and death numbers low.
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