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The Middle East correspondent in the British Times newspaper, Richard Spencer, described the family situation of the ruling family in Syria as an open civil war, in light of the clear differences between the Makhlouf and Assad families.
In his report, the journalist added that President Bashar al-Assad had begun arresting employees and close associates of his cousin Rami Makhlouf, who accused the Syrian regime last week of trying to extort him.
Makhlouf later claimed that the system retaliated by arresting employees of his company, “Syriatel” on mobile phones, in an “inhuman” manner, as he described it.
Makhlouf added: “Mr. President, the security forces have started to attack people’s liberties. These are their loyal supporters. The situation is dangerous. By God, if it continues in the country it will be very difficult.”
Yesterday, the arrest of the editor of the newspaper “Al-Watan”, one of the most important newspapers in support of the Syrian regime, and part of Makhlouf’s corporate empire, while Makhlouf himself disappeared from sight.
Other cousins joined the classroom online, with some suggesting that Assad’s British-born wife, Asma al-Assad, was heavily involved in the conflict.
A Facebook post by a member of the Makhlouf family targeted businessmen close to Assad, listing a list of those who said they had smuggled their money abroad, particularly “his new family, the fool.” Al-Akhras is the title of Bashar Al-Assad’s wife, and her father is Fawaz Al-Akhras, a cardiologist based in London.
The letter was later removed later because it toyed with the idea of sectarian division in the system by accusing Assad of being surrounded by “neo-Ottomans,” a derogatory term for Sunni Muslims linked to Turkey, Syria’s arch-enemy.
The Assad and Makhlouf families belong to the Alawite minority, which provided much of the fighting strength to the regime army and suffered by far the greatest losses of any sect, in proportion to their numbers, but the names of Akhras are Sunni Muslims. like most of the opposition.
The report makes clear that disputes within the ruling family began to emerge last August, when the regime demanded that the richest companies in the country contribute more money for reconstruction.
The companies headed by Mr. Makhlouf, the nephew of Assad’s late mother Anisa Makhlouf, are the richest. They dominate the Syrian economy even before the war, and are the richest family in Syria. However, the relationship between Assad and Makhlouf strained after the latter was unable to pay for what he was asked to do.
Mr. Makhlouf’s children became stars on social media, boasting outlandish lifestyles, coinciding with the suffering of a large segment of hungry Syrians. Mohamed Makhlouf, 22, who lives in Dubai, posted Instagram photos of his private jet, sports car and luxury villa.
Her father’s first video was shot Friday in a respectful tone, saying he just wanted to “explain his family’s suffering,” adding that his companies paid $ 3 million to charities each month.
However, the back taxes claims are said to be around $ 250 million, which Makhlouf said he was unable to pay immediately.
His pre-war wealth was estimated at more than $ 5 billion, but he was subject to United States sanctions due to his companies’ support of the regime in 2008, and his name was echoed in what is known as the Papers. of Panama, as one of the most outstanding users of international tax havens.
But disputes within the Assad clan are not new, as Hafez al-Assad trusted his younger brother, Rifaat, a military commander, and even his son-in-law, Rami Makhlouf’s father, and handed over the economy. But Tahadi raised his brother in a coup attempt in the 1980s, and was forced into exile in London and then Paris.
