Attempted assassination of Hafez al-Assad

On 26 June 1980, an assassination attempt on Hafez al-Assad, the Syrian president, was carried out by Muslim Brotherhood supporters who threw two grenades and fired machine gun bursts at him as he waited for an African diplomat in the Guest Palace in Damascus.[1][2][3] Assad kicked one grenade out of range, whilst one of Assad's bodyguards threw himself on the other grenade.

June 1980 assassination attempt on Hafez al-Assad
Part of Islamist uprising in Syria
Attempted assassination of Hafez al-Assad is located in Damascus
Attempted assassination of Hafez al-Assad
Location of the assassination attempt.
LocationGuest Palace, Damascus, Syria
Date26 June 1980 (Local time)
WeaponsHand granades, machine gun
Deaths1 bodyguard (+2 attackers)

The attack came in the context of the Islamist uprising in Syria. The attack on the president prompted a series of deadly retaliation by the government troops, most notably the Tadmor prison massacre, carried out the next day. Ten days later Law No. 49 was passed, making membership of the Muslim Brotherhood a capital offense.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Moubayed, Sami (2015). Under the Black Flag: At the Frontier of the New Jihad. I.B.Tauris. pp. 38–39. ISBN 9781784533083.
  2. ^ Seale, Patrick (1989), Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East, University of California Press, p.328-329
  3. ^ Syria’s Tadmor Prison Massacre: Reliving Horrors of 32 Years Past JUNE 27, 2012