No doubt, Hafez Assad died before his time. Everyone knew that he was sickly, that Assad was grooming his son, Bashar, to take over. But few were prepared for his death before the official transition had taken place. He died before his legacy was firmly in place. He died without signing a peace accord with Israel.
Uncertainty looms large.
Would he or wouldn't he - have made peace with Israel. We will never know. One thing is certain. Israel is, once again, sitting and waiting. For better or for worse, there will be no progress on the Syrian peace track for a very long time.