The former first lady of Syria has passed away.

Anissa Makhlouf al-Assad, widow of ex-president Hafez al-Assad, died today at the age of 86.

According to AFP, reports say that she had been ill for many years and often traveled abroad for treatment before the EU imposed a travel freeze on leading Syrian figures.

Anissa is survived by Bashar, his brother Maher and their sister Bushra. Her Husband Hafez died in 2000, while sons Bassel and Majd died in 1994 and 2009 respectively.