The Syrian authorities have maintained silence in the face of reports from various opposition sources indicating the arrest of General Asef Shawkat, the brother-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad and the head of the intelligence apparatus, on charges of plotting a military coup with U.S. support. The information comes after discussions about Bushra al-Assad, the president’s sister, and Shawkat’s wife, leaving for Paris with their children.
The “Syrian Observatory for Human Rights” confirmed on Tuesday the news of Shawkat’s arrest, noting that this is in anticipation of a coup against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
On their part, Syrian authorities and official media have remained silent about the news of Shawkat’s arrest.
Deputy Syrian President Abdul-Halim Khaddam had revealed in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper “Al-Mustaqbal” a few days ago the news of Asef Shawkat’s disappearance and that instructions had been issued personally by President Bashar al-Assad to prevent him from leaving Syrian territory.
He indicated that President al-Assad took advantage of the “suspicious” assassination of Imad Mughniyeh to remove General Shawkat from his position and assign him to his cousin, Brigadier Hafez Makhlouf, who oversees the investigation into the assassination.
Outside Syria, there were rumors that Asef Shawkat had deported his wife, Bashar al-Assad’s sister, and their children to Paris. Subsequently, he began contacting authorities in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries in an attempt to obtain asylum for his family.
Sources mentioned that Shawkat asked some of his Arab acquaintances to provide facilities for his wife to reside outside Syria. It is noted that he made a similar request to a French security official he had a close relationship with after confirming that a significant operation was being prepared to remove him from power and close major files.
It is worth noting that Shawkat, who was one of the closest to Assad and is said to be the most powerful man in the regime, had a significant dispute with Maher al-Assad, the brother of the Syrian president, due to family problems that later turned into a power struggle and a crisis of trust between the two men.
