President Bashar Assad’s younger brother is considered the second most powerful figure in Syria. Maher heads the Republican Guard, a crack unit tasked with protecting the regime in Damascus , as well as the Fourth Armored Division, the group which brutally put down the early protests in the south, earning him the grim nickname “the Butcher of Dera’a.” The Telegraph describes him as “the most feared man in Syria.” Maher and brother-in-law Asef Shawkat — who he allegedly shot and wounded during an argument in 1999 – were named by the U.N as suspects in the assassination of Lebanese leader Rafik Hariri.
Meet the Assads: A Look at the Syrian Strongman’s Family
As the conflict in Syria reaches a critical phase, TIME looks at some of the regime's key figures.