| Hafiz Makhluf حافظ مخلوف |
|
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 2, 1975[1] |
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Religion | Alawi |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Colonel |
Hafiz Makhluf (Arabic: حافظ مخلوف) (b. 1975) is a Syrian colonel and a senior official at the General Security Directorate. Makhluf is a maternal cousin to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He is also the brother of Rami Makhluf, Syria’s leading businessman.[2] Makhluf was sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury in 2007 for "undermining the sovereignty of Lebanon or its democratic processes and institutions." The sanctions called for freezing "any assets the designees may have located in the United States", and prohibited U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with these individuals".[3] In May 2011, the EU imposed sanctions against Mr Makhlouf, saying he was an "associate of Maher al-Assad" who "bankrolls the regime allowing violence against demonstrators". Col Makhlouf is perhaps best known for being one of the two survivors of the high-speed car crash in 1994 that killed the president's elder brother, Basil, who was being groomed to succeed their father, Hafez. In May 2011, the EU imposed sanctions on Col Makhlouf, saying he was "close to Maher al-Assad" had been "involved in violence against demonstrators" as head of the GSD's Damascus branch. The US treasury department announced new sanctions against him later that month, saying he had been "given a leading role in responding to protests in Syria, and was heavily involved in the Syrian regime's actions in Deraa, where protesters were killed". Opposition activists have said Col Makhlouf enjoys greater influence over the president than the head of the GSD, Ali Mamluk. He is apart of Assad's inner circle. [4]