Syrian President Assad's mother dies aged 86: state media

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is seen during an interview in Damascus with the magazine, Literarni Noviny newspaper, in this handout picture taken January 8, 2015 by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's mother, Anisa Makhlouf, has died at the age of 86, Syrian state media said on Saturday. Makhlouf was married to the late president Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000. They married in 1957 and had five children: Bushra, Basil, Bashar, Majed and Maher. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Kevin Liffey)