Hafez al- Assad

Assad, Hafez al- (1930–), president of Syria since 1971. As minister of defense and member of the moderate wing of the Baath party, he led a coup that later made him president. A steadfast foe of Israel, Assad has supported various factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization. In 1976 he sent Syrian troops to Lebanon, where they have intervened actively in the civil war, holding power in much of the country. Assad opposed the Camp David peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. A member of the Alawi sect of Islam, Assad rules dictatorially over a population that is mostly Sunni Muslim. In the early 1990s Assad attempted to ameliorate the country's relationship with western countries, especially the United States. Assad was willing to cooperate in the Middle East peace proces.

See also: Persian Gulf War; Syria.