Wife of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is being treated for breast cancer

Asma al-Assad, the wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, began treatment for early stage breast cancer as the government released an image of her with an intravenous drip inserted in her left hand on its social media accounts.

“Asma al-Assad is beginning the first stage of treatment for a malignant tumour in the breast that was discovered at an early stage,” the president’s office said on its Facebook page.

The announcement came with a photo of the first lady smiling at her husband who sat to her right.

The office did not specify where the first lady was being treated, but the word “military” was printed on a blanket visible in the picture, indicating she was likely in a military hospital.