On Thursday, Syrian regime president Bashar al-Assad issued a decree appointing a new defence minister, who replaces the former minister, General Ali Abdullah Ayoub.
According to the Syrian regime’s SANA news agency, Assad issued Decree No. 115 naming Major-General Ali Mahmoud Abbas as defence minister.
Abbas replaced General Ali Abdullah Ayoub, who has served as defence minister in the Syrian regime’s government since 2018.
Abbas hails from the village of Afrah in the Zabadani area of Rural Damascus. He will serve as the fifth defence minister in the Syrian regime’s government since the Syrian revolution broke out in mid-March 2011.
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Abbas began his military career at the Bassel al-Assad Military College in Homs. Before being appointed defense minister, Abbas served as Ayoub’s deputy, defense minister, and chief of staff.
Before Abbas became defence minister, four different figures have served in the role since the outbreak of the revolution. The first of these, Daoud Rajha, was killed by the bombing of the “crisis cell” (National Security Building) in July 2012. He succeeded Ali Habib, who held the position from 2009 to August 2011.
After Rajha, General Fahd Jassim al-Freij took office in July 2012, before being succeeded by General Ali Abdullah Ayoub in early January 2018.
Before the Syrian revolution, Mustafa Tlass was defense minister for 32 years under Hafez al-Assad. He was then replaced by General Hassan Turkmani, who was removed from his post in 2009 and later killed in the “crisis cell” bombing.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
