Special Adviser to Syrian President Assad Dies Following Car Crash Under Unclear Circumstances

Published on July 7, 2024

DAMASCUS—A close adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad has died after a car accident left her hospitalized for four days, the president’s office said Friday in a statement. Luna al-Shibl, a former journalist, had worked as the director of Mr. Assad’s political and media offices and as a special adviser to the president. She was slapped with U.S. sanctions in 2020 along with five other Syrian military, government, and financial officials, and later was also sanctioned by the United Kingdom. Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported Tuesday that Ms. al-Shibl had been in an accident that “caused the car she was in to swerve off the road, and she was subjected to several collisions.” She was hospitalized in Damascus and admitted to intensive care with “severe injuries” including a head hemorrhage....

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