4th member of Assad regime, Syria security chief Gen. Hisham Ikhtiyar, dies after Damascus bombing (CBS/AP) DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's national security chief has died of wounds suffered in a rebel blast on Wednesday, the fourth senior regime official to be killed by the attack. Gen. Hisham Ikhtiyar is the fourth member of President Bashar Assad's inner circle to die after the bombing that targeted security chiefs meeting in the national security headquarters in Damascus. Ikhtiyar died Friday morning, according to Syria's state-run television network. The others killed in the blast were Gen. Assef Shawkat, the deputy defense minister who was married to Assad's elder sister, Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha and Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister.