Luna al-Shibl

Luna al-Shibl
لونا الشبل
Special Adviser to the President of Syria
In office 14 November 2020 – 5 July 2024
President	Bashar al-Assad
Personal details
Born	1975 Ira, Suwayda, Syria
Died	5 July 2024 Al-Shami Hospital, Damascus, Syria
Political party	Ba'ath Party
Spouse	Sami Kleib ​ ​ (m. 2008; div. 2013)​ Ammar Saati ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	1
Education	Damascus University
Occupation	Journalist, Political Adviser

Luna al-Shibl (Arabic: لونا الشبل) was a Syrian journalist and political adviser who served as a special adviser to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. She was known for her influential role within the Syrian government under the Ba'athist regime and her close association with the president. Al-Shibl died in July 2024 following a car accident under circumstances that prompted widespread speculation.

Early life and education

Al-Shibl was born in 1975 in Ira, Suwayda Governorate, Syria, into a Druze family. She studied at the Faculty of Arts at Damascus University, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in French language, followed by a diploma in interpretation, and later pursued postgraduate studies, earning a master's degree in journalism and media.

Career

Journalism

Al-Shibl started her career in the Syrian state television. In 2003, she joined Al Jazeera, the Qatari state-owned news network, where she worked as a presenter and reporter. She gained prominence through her program Lilnisaa Faqat (Arabic: للنساء فقط, lit. 'For Women Only') and covered significant events. In May 2010, she resigned from Al Jazeera and returned to Syria, where she briefly worked for Syrian state television.

Political career

Following the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, al-Shibl served as the Director of the Media and Political Office at the Presidency of Syria. Leaked personal emails from Bashar al-Assad, published by Al Arabiya on 15 March 2012, revealed that she advised Assad on media strategies concerning various issues. The messages also showed her acting as a liaison between Assad and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jihad Makdissi. In February 2014, she took part in the Geneva II Conference as a member of the Syrian government delegation. On 22 April 2017, she was appointed to the Central Committee of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. On 14 November 2020, she was appointed as a special adviser to President Bashar al-Assad.

Al-Shibl's ascent reportedly stirred tensions within Assad’s inner circle. For years, the president's wife, Asma al-Assad, allegedly sought to remove her from the palace, fueled by persistent rumors of an affair and frequent online references to Shibl as Syria's "Second Lady". Additionally, Bouthaina Shaaban, al-Shibl's initial superior at the palace, also came to oppose her.

Al-Shibl accompanied al-Assad on various official visits, including to China in 2023.

Sanctions

In August 2020, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned al-Shibl and her husband under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, citing their roles in supporting the Assad regime's narrative and involvement in human rights abuses.

On 15 March 2021, the British government imposed sanctions on al-Shibl along with six other figures from the Syrian regime, including Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and close advisers to Bashar al-Assad.

Personal life

Al-Shibl married Ammar Saati, then a member of the Syrian People's Assembly and former head of the National Union of Syrian Students, in 2016. She had previously been married to Lebanese-French journalist Sami Kleib.

Death

On 2 July 2024, al-Shibl was involved in a car accident on the Damascus-Yaafour highway. She sustained severe injuries, including a cerebral hemorrhage, and was admitted to intensive care at Al-Shami Hospital in Damascus. She died on 5 July 2024.

The circumstances surrounding her death led to speculation and conspiracy theories. Opposition sources claimed that her vehicle was deliberately rammed by an armored car, suggesting an orchestrated assassination. While it was reported that the driver of her car was detained and taken to an undisclosed location.

Two months before the accident, in May 2024, President Bashar al-Assad removed al-Shibl and her husband from the central committee of the Ba'ath Party. In the days leading up to her death, reports indicated that she was preparing to leave Syria for a resort in Sochi, Russia, which was said to be owned by her and her husband.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), al-Shibl's responsibilities had been reduced in the month prior to her death, reportedly due to Iran's displeasure over claims that she had passed on sensitive details about meetings between Syrian and Iranian officials to Russian counterparts. The SOHR also reported that Syrian intelligence had detained her brother, Brigadier General Mulham al-Shibl, on accusations of "collaborating with Israel and providing information about a meeting of the 'Axis of Resistance' leaders at the Iranian Embassy in Damascus", an action taken after the Israeli airstrike on Iran's consulate in Damascus in April 2024.

Additionally, al-Shibl's husband, Saati was reportedly not allowed to visit her at the hospital she was at. While earlier reports stated that he was dismissed from his academic post at Damascus University in June 2024 amid ongoing corruption investigations. Reports also indicated that his movements had been restricted by authorities and that he was banned from leaving the country.

Further controversy arose when her family in Suwayda reportedly refused to receive condolences due to longstanding familial disputes.

She was buried in the Al-Dahdah cemetery in Damascus. The funeral was notably low-key, with limited official presence and media coverage, which was speculated to be a result of government discontent with al-Shibl and possible involvement in her death.

See also

• Bouthaina Shaaban
• Fall of the Assad regime