Ministry of Defense (Syria) facts for kids
| وزارة الدفاع | |
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1920 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Syria |
| Headquarters | Hay'at al-Arkan, Umayyad Square, Damascus 33°30′50.58″N 36°16′42.58″E / 33.5140500°N 36.2784944°E |
| Minister responsible |
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| Child agencies |
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The Ministry of Defense (Arabic: وزارة الدفاع) is a government office in Syria. Its main job is to manage all matters related to the country's defense. The current Minister of Defense, Murhaf Abu Qasra, also helps lead the Army and Armed Forces.
In December 2024, after a big change in government, the new leaders decided to reorganize the defense ministry. They planned to include former rebel groups and military officers who had left the previous government's armed forces.
In July 2025, the Israeli Air Force attacked the entrance of the defense ministry building in Damascus. This happened during clashes in southern Syria.
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Bringing Rebel Groups Together
In January 2025, a meeting called the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference took place. At this meeting, the new Syrian government announced that all old security groups and militias would be closed down. Many different opposition groups were expected to join the Ministry of Defense.
The Ministry of Defense later shared that over 70 armed groups from six different areas agreed to become part of the new defense system.
However, leaders from some of these groups mentioned that joining would happen "gradually." This means it would take time. They also said that more details were needed on how the ministry would be set up.
As of February 2025, the ministry created a special team to help with this big change. This team is working on how to manage military resources and create a new structure for the armed forces.
Defense Ministers During the Transitional Period (2024–present)
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Term of office | Political party | Government | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 1 | Major General Murhaf Abu Qasra (born 1984) |
21 December 2024 | Incumbent | 271 days | HTS (until 29 January 2025) |
Caretaker (until 29 March 2025) |
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| Independent | Transitional | |||||||
Timeline of Defense Ministers Since 1958
Military Intelligence Agencies
These are special groups that gather information to protect the country.
Past Agencies
- Military Intelligence Directorate
- Air Force Intelligence Directorate
Current Agencies
- General Intelligence Service
See also
- Syrian Armed Forces
Images for kids
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An image of Abdul Hamid Pasha Al-Qaltaqi.
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Yusuf al-Azma.
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Jamil al-Ulshi.
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Shukri al-Quwatli in 1943.
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Jamil Mardam Bey.
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Mazhar Raslan.
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Nasuhi al-Bukhari.
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An image of Hasan al-Atrash.
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Ata Bey al-Ayyubi.
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Khalid al-Azm.
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Saadallah al-Jabiri.
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Nabih al-Azma.
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Husni al-Za'im.
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Abdullah Atfeh.
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Fawzi Selu.
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Akram al-Hawrani.
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Zaki al-Khatib.
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An image of Maarouf al-Dawalibi.
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An image of Raf'at Khankan.
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Said al-Ghazzi.
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Rashad Barmada.
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An image of Abd al-Hasib Raslan.
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Abdel Hakim Amer in 1955.
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Maamun al-Kuzbari.
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Izzat al-Nuss.
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An image of Abdul Karim Zahreddine.
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Muhammad al-Sufi.
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Ziad al-Hariri.
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An image of Abdullah Ziyada.
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An image of Mamdouh Jaber.
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An image of Hamad Ubayd.
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Muhammad Umran.
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Hafez al-Assad in 1970.
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Mustafa Tlass in 1969.
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An image of Hasan Turkmani.
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Ali Habib Mahmud in 1990.
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An image of Dawoud Rajiha.
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Fahd Jassem al-Freij in 2016.
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Ali Abdullah Ayyoub in 2020.
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Ali Mahmoud Abbas.
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