Syria's first lady has successful breast cancer surgery Syria's Presidency says the first lady has had successful surgery for breast cancer in the capital's military hospital

BEIRUT -- Syria's Presidency says the first lady has had successful surgery for breast cancer in the capital's military hospital.

The Presidency said Sunday that Asma Assad is fighting a malignant tumor with "strength, confidence and faith." The specifics of her surgery were not immediately known.

Her diagnosis was announced last summer in a rare public announcement regarding the health of the president's family.

The family of Asma Assad, 43, is from central Syria but she was born and raised in London. She was an investment banker before quitting to marry the then-newly minted President Bashar Assad, in 2000. She has three children.

Asma Assad has maintained a public role, promoting civil and charity groups before the war and supporting families of soldiers after the conflict, which has killed more than 450,000.