Bashar al-Assad heads up this country from its capital, Damascus
But the presidential 
palace, which was reported to cost up to $1 billion and sits atop a... [DOC] [TLE] Hafez al-Assad - Wikipedia [PAR] Hafez al-Assad was a Syrian statesman, politician and general who was 
President of Syria from ... Assad died in 2000 and was succeeded by Bashar al-
Assad as President and ... As the French left Syria, many Syrians mistrusted 
Alawites because of their ... After 1955, Atassi's hold on the country was 
increasingly shaky.