DAMASCUS — Syria's first lady, Asma al-Assad, has been diagnosed with leukemia, the Syrian presidency announced on Tuesday.

This comes nearly five years after she declared a full recovery from breast cancer.

According to the statement, Asma, 48, will undergo a special treatment protocol requiring her to isolate and step away from public engagements.

In 2019, she had announced her full recovery from early-detected breast cancer. Since the onset of the Syrian war in 2011, the British-born former investment banker has led charity efforts and engaged with families of deceased soldiers, despite facing opposition hostility.

She heads the Syria Trust for Development, a major NGO overseeing various aid and development initiatives in the country.

Last year, she made a publicized visit to the United Arab Emirates with her husband, President Bashar al-Assad, marking her first official trip abroad with him since 2011, where she met Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Emirati president's mother. — Agencies