Ali Mahmoud Abbas

Syrian officer and politician

علي محمود عباس

18th Minister of Defense

Incumbent

Assumed office
28 April 2022PresidentBashar al-AssadPrime MinisterHussein ArnousPreceded byAli Abdullah AyyoubMember of the Central Command of the Ba'ath Party

Incumbent

Assumed office
4 May 2024Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Army and the Armed ForcesIn office
18 March 2021 – 28 April 2022Defense MinisterAli Abdullah AyyoubChief of StaffSalim HarbaPreceded byWasel al-SamirSucceeded byMufid Hassan Personal detailsBorn (1964-11-02) 2 November 1964 (age 59)
Efra,^[1] Rif Dimashq, SyriaPolitical partyBa'ath PartyEducationHoms Military Academy
Royal College of Defence StudiesMilitary serviceAllegiance

SyriaBranch/service

Syrian Arab ArmyYears of service1985–presentRank

Lieutenant generalUnitInternal Security Brigade
Armored Military CollegeBattles/warsSyrian Civil War

Ali Mahmoud Abbas (Arabic: علي محمود عباس; born 2 November 1964) is a Syrian politician, senior Syrian Arab Army general and the 18th Minister of Defense of the Syrian Arab Republic, succeeding Ali Abdullah Ayyoub.^[2] He is a Sunni Muslim.^[3]

Early life and education

Abbas was born in 1964 in Efra, Rif Dimashq.^[4] He joined the Homs Military Academy, specialization of armored vehicles in 1983. He graduated with the rank of lieutenant on October 7, 1985.^[4] He first studied higher command in Pakistan in 1997. Between 2000 and 2001, he attended Royal College of Defence Studies in London, UK for postgraduate studies in national defense.^[4]

He also attended academic international crisis management course at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College, Stockholm in 2003. In 2004, he participated at the course in directing the state's defense in the Royal College, Breda, the Netherlands.^[4]

Military career

He was promoted to the rank of major general on 1 January 2018 and the rank of lieutenant general on 30 April 2022. Upon his promotion to lieutenant general, he commanded the Internal Security Brigade for two years.^[4] Following his promotions, he assumed the command of the Military Academy for three years. He has occupied a number of high posts, the latest of which as Deputy Chief of the General Staff on 18 March 2021.^[5]

Minister of Defense

On 28 April 2022, Presidential Decree No. 115 was issued naming General Ali Mahmoud Abbas as Minister of Defense replacing Ali Abdullah Ayyoub.^[6] During the 2023 Homs drone strike Abbas was in attendance at the graduation ceremony but left before the attack.^[7] He later visited the Abdul-Qader Shaqfa Military Hospital were several of the casualties were brought.^[8]

Sanctions

In June 2023, Abbas was sanctioned by the UK for “the systematic use of sexual and gender-based violence against civilians.”^[9]

References

^ "وزير الدفاع الجديد ينحدر من ريف دمشق من هو اللواء علي عباس؟". 28 April 2022.
^ "Syria names new defense minister: Presidency". Al Arabiya English. 28 April 2022.
^ Lund, Aron (23 May 2022). "Can Assad's New Military Appointments Help Rebuild His Regime?". The Century Foundation. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Prime Minister's Office. "Prime Minister's Office – Syrian Arab News Agency". Syrian Arab News Agency. Sana.sy. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
^ "Syria names new defence minister -presidency". Reuters. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
^ "الرئيس الأسد يصدر مرسوماً بتسمية اللواء علي محمود عباس وزيراً للدفاع". مجلس الشعب السوري. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
^ "At least 100 killed in drone attack on Syrian military academy". Reuters. 5 October 2023.
^ "Funerals held in Syria for dozens of victims killed in deadliest attack in years". Associated Press. 6 October 2023.
^ "UK imposes sanctions on Syrian and Congolese officials accused of sexual violence". Financial Times. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.