Syria's Rifaat al-Assad reportedly dies in the UAE aged 88

Rifaat al-Assad, the exiled uncle of former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, has reportedly died at age 88 in the UAE. Known as the "Butcher of Hama," he led forces that brutally suppressed a 1982 uprising, resulting in an estimated 37,000 deaths. After a failed coup attempt against his brother Hafez, he spent decades in exile, facing legal troubles in Europe for corruption and war crimes. Despite a French prison sentence, he returned to Syria in 2022 before fleeing again after the fall of his nephew's regime, never serving jail time.