Luna al-Shebel, a senior media advisor to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, is in intensive care after sustaining "severe injuries" in a car crash near the capital, Damascus, state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported, citing a statement from the office of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based NGO, also reported the accident.

Al-Shebel is a key figure in the Syrian presidential palace. Her car "veered off" a road leading to Damascus on Tuesday afternoon, reported SANA, citing a statement from the Syrian Presidential office.

SOHR, which has a network of activists based in Syria, reported that al-Shebel’s vehicle was hit by another car, causing her to lose control and crash.

Transported to a hospital in Damascus

Shortly after the incident, she was transported to a nearby medical facility before being moved to the intensive care unit at al-Shami Hospital for specialized treatment.

A statement from the Syrian Presidential office indicated that she is suffering from a "severe head injury which led to significant bleeding." She has been admitted to the intensive care unit to receive treatment from a "specialized medical team," the statement adds. 

Syrian regime forces have detained the driver of the other vehicle and taken him to a security center for questioning, according to the SOHR.

Close ties to the Assad regime

Luna Al-Shebel, renowned for her pivotal role in regional reconciliations and her influential position within the presidential palace, is a significant figure in Syria’s political sphere, according to the Syrian Observer. 

In 2020, she was appointed "Special Advisor" to President Assad in addition to her position as head of the Media & Political Office of the palace

A Syrian government document seen by L'Orient-Le Jour revealed that al-Shebel's husband Mohamad Saati, a retired general and the head of the pro-government Student’s Federation was dismissed from his position by the Syrian Education Minister Bassam Ibrahim on June 23.

"Luna al-Shibl has had a meteoric rise to prominence, from journalist at Al Jazeera to Assad’s Press Officer, but has also come into direct conflict with Assad's wife," the Syrian Observer wrote in 2019. 

Luna divorced her ex-husband, Lebanese journalist Sami Kleib in 2014 after four years of marriage. They both met when they were working at Al Jazeera.