The Ministry of Defense () is a cabinet ministry of Syria, responsible for defense affairs and national security. Murhaf Abu Qasra, Minister of Defense holds the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Armed Forces.
History
Contemporary Syria Following the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, caretaker prime minister Mohammed al-Bashir has said the defense ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from the former Ba'athist armed forces.
On 16 July 2025, the Israeli Air Force bombed the entrance and two of its facades to the defense ministry headquarters in Damascus, amid the July 2025 southern Syria clashes.
Incorporation of rebel groups At the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference, which was held in late January 2025, the Syrian caretaker government announced the dissolution of all security agencies of the Ba'athist regime and all militias established by it. In addition, the Syrian opposition groups are expected to be dissolved and merged into the ministry. The Ministry of Defense later reported that over 70 armed factions across six regions in total agreed to participate in the new administration.
However, one leader from the Syrian National Army indicated that the dissolution of different groups will be done "gradually", while a rebel leader from Daraa Governorate confirmed that the rebel groups had been ordered to disband, but that the "implementation" needs more time until more clarity is provided on how the ministry will ultimately be structured.
As of February 2025, the ministry has formed a committee focused on restructuring and managing assets, as well as a "sub-committee" whose purpose is to determine a new "internal structure" for the armed forces.
List of ministers of defense
Arab Kingdom of Syria (1918–1920) Portrait Name Term of office Political party Government Took office Left office Time in office 1 9 March 1920 3 May 1920 Independent 2 Yusuf al-Azma 3 May 1920 24 July 1920 † Al-Fatat 3 Jamil al-Ulshi 25 July 1920 30 November 1920 Independent
French Mandate for Syria (1920–1946) Portrait Name Term of office Political party Government Took office Left office Time in office 1 Shukri al-Quwatli 21 December 1936 22 March 1938 National Bloc 2 Jamil Mardam Bey 22 March 1938 23 February 1939 National Bloc 3 Mazhar Raslan 23 February 1939 5 April 1939 National Bloc al-Haffar 4 Nasuhi al-Bukhari 5 April 1939 4 July 1939 Independent 5 20 September 1941 15 March 1942 † Independent 6 18 April 1942 25 March 1943 Independent 7 Ata Bey al-Ayyubi 25 March 1943 19 August 1943 Independent (4) Nasuhi al-Bukhari 19 August 1943 14 October 1944 Independent (2) Jamil Mardam Bey 14 October 1944 26 August 1945 National Bloc – 8 Khalid al-Azm 26 August 1945 30 September 1945 Independent 9 Saadallah al-Jabiri 30 September 1945 27 April 1946 National Bloc
First Syrian Republic and Second Syrian Republic (1946–1958) Portrait Name Term of office Political party Government Took office Left office Time in office 1 Nabih al-Azma 27 April 1946 17 June 1946 National Bloc 2 Ahmad al-Sharabati 17 June 1946 23 May 1948 Independent – 3 Jamil Mardam Bey 23 August 1948 12 December 1948 National Party – 4 Khalid al-Azm 12 December 1948 17 April 1949 Independent 5 Husni al-Za'im 17 April 1949 1 July 1949 Independent 6 Abdullah Atfeh 1 July 1949 24 December 1949 Independent 7 Fawzi Selu 24 December 1949 28 December 1949 Independent 8 Akram al-Hawrani 28 December 1949 4 June 1950 Arab Party Movement (7) Fawzi Selu 4 June 1950 13 November 1951 Independent – 9 Zaki al-Khatib 13 November 1951 28 November 1951 People's Party 10 Maarouf al-Dawalibi 28 November 1951 29 November 1951 People's Party (7) Fawzi Selu 2 December 1951 19 July 1953 Military 11 Raf'at Khankan 19 July 1953 1 March 1954 Military (10) Maarouf al-Dawalibi 1 March 1954 19 June 1954 People's Party 12 Said al-Ghazzi 19 June 1954 3 November 1954 Independent 13 Rashad Barmada 3 November 1954 13 February 1955 People's Party (4) Khalid al-Azm 13 February 1955 13 September 1955 Independent (13) Rashad Barmada 13 September 1955 14 June 1956 People's Party 14 Abd al-Hasib Raslan 14 June 1956 31 December 1956 Independent (4) Khalid al-Azm 31 December 1956 22 February 1958 Independent
United Arab Republic (1958–1961) Portrait Name Term of office Political party Government Took office Left office Time in office 1 Abdel Hakim Amer 22 February 1958 28 September 1961 National Union ––
Second Syrian Republic and Ba'athist Syrian Arab Republic (1961–2024) Portrait Name Term of office Political party Government Took office Left office Time in office
Transitional period (2024–present) Portrait Name Term of office Political party Government Took office Left office Time in office 1 Major GeneralMurhaf Abu Qasra 21 December 2024 Incumbent HTS Caretaker Independent Transitional
Timeline of the ministers since 1958
Military intelligence agencies
Ba'athist Syria Military Intelligence Directorate Air Force Intelligence Directorate
Current General Intelligence Service
See also Government of Syria
References
External links