Syrian Presidency mourns adviser Luna al-Shibl

Shafaq News/ The Syrian presidency announced the passing of adviser Luna al-Shibl on Friday following a serious car accident, according to a statement released by state media.

Shibl was involved in a traffic accident on Tuesday on Yaa'four Road in Damascus. Initially, she was taken to a clinic near the crash site but was later transferred to intensive care at Al-Shami Hospital in Damascus.

Despite starting in communications, Shibl's influence expanded within Assad's inner circle, accompanying him to high-level meetings both domestically and abroad.

Recent months saw a decline in Shibl's standing within the regime, as reported by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which noted her brother's arrest amid accusations of leaking confidential discussions between Assad and Iranian officials.

"Accusations surfaced that she leaked minutes of closed meetings between Assad and Iranian officials," said Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman, noting growing discontent with Shibl among regime circles.

According to AFP, Syrian intelligence detained her brother on charges related to alleged communications with parties hostile to Syria following an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus in April, the monitor added.

In 2020, Shibl and her husband Ammar Saati were sanctioned by the United States Treasury for their roles in promoting what the Treasury described as Assad's misleading narrative of maintaining control and fostering prosperity in Syria.