Syria’s First Lady, Asma al-Assad, has released a video online expressing her gratitude following a leukaemia diagnosis, SANA reported on May 26

Al-Assad, who has remained in Syria throughout the Syrian civil war and under sanctions by Britain and other countries, said she “will fight the battle with leukaemia,” following a previous announcement by her husband’s office that she was fighting cancer in a recent notice.

In a video posted on her Instagram account, Asma, wearing a blue jumper and sitting on a sofa, said she has received “heartfelt messages of love and support.”

 She said: “Anyone who fights a battle with the disease must have the strength and will, not only to overcome it, but also to bear his distance from the people he loves and whom he is committed to serving.”

Al-Assad added: “I will fight this battle armed with faith and absolute trust in the Lord of the Worlds and in your prayers and love... I will see you soon.”

It is unclear where the video was filmed, but it was likely in the presidential complex in Damascus.

Asma has previously undergone treatment for breast cancer in 2018 and was found in remission in 2018.

Born and educated in London graduating from King’s College London, she started work as an economics analyst at Deutsche Bank Group in the hedge fund management division with clients in Europe and Asia.

She later joined J.P. Morgan, where she worked on pharmaceuticals.  At one point, she was seen as a bridge between UK and Syrian institutions before the war in the country. Asma and her optician-by-training president husband became a pariah following the war in Syria and the subsequent sanctions regime on the country and its officials.