Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his wife test positive for coronavirus

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma Assad wear face masks during a tour of Damascus

Credit: Shutterstock/Shutterstock

Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator, and his wife Asma have tested positive for coronavirus and have gone into quarantine, the regime announced on Monday. 

In a statement, Assad’s office said he and his British wife took tests after developing symptoms similar to Covid-19 and will self-isolate at their home for two to three weeks. Both are said to be experiencing mild symptoms so far. 

Asma al-Assad grew up in the UK and was last year hit with US sanctions by the Trump administration which accused her of being “one of Syria’s most notorious war profiteers.”

More than a thousand people have died of coronavirus according to the regime’s official figures, while there have been some 15,000 cases overall, though the true number is suspected to be much higher. 

In the Kurdish-held northeast, the Kurdish authorities have announced a total of 8,689 cases and 368 deaths.

Meanwhile in rebel-held northwest Syria, opposition officials have reported 21,209 cases, including 632 deaths.

Syria, which is approaching the 10th anniversary of its civil war next Monday, says it has begun a vaccination campaign but has offered few details on the process. 

The regime says it has obtained vaccines from a “friendly country,” but declined to name it. 

However, Israeli media reports say that Israel has paid Russia — one of Syria’s allies — $1.2m (£860,000) to provide Syria with the Sputnik vaccine. 

The same reports state that the payment was made as part of a deal to release an Israeli civilian from custody in Syria. 

Admitting that Israel had supported Syria’s vaccine efforts would cause significant embarrassment to the regime, which regards the Jewish state as its main enemy in the region. 

The Syrian health ministry warned of a rise in infections earlier this month, urging compliance with coronavirus measures.

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak last year, Damascus has struggled to enforce strict restrictions because of an economic crisis compounded by a devaluation of the local currency on the black market.