Hikmat al-Shihabi
Hikmat Shihabi | |
|---|---|
حكمت الشهابي | |
 | |
| Member of theRegional Commandof theSyrian Regional Branch | |
| In office 7 January 1980 – 1 July 1998 | |
| 16thChief of Staff of the Syrian Army | |
| In office 12 August 1974 – July 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Yusuf Shakkur |
| Succeeded by | Ali Aslan |
| Head ofMilitary Intelligence | |
| In office 1970–1973 | |
| Preceded by | Ali Zaza |
| Succeeded by | Ali Duba |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 January 1931 Al-Bab,Aleppo Governorate,Syria |
| Died | 5 March 2013(aged 82) |
| Political party | Ba'ath Party |
| Awards | Hero of the Republic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Syria |
| Branch/service | Syrian Arab Army |
| Years of service | 1952–1998 |
| Rank |  Colonel General |
| Unit | 10th Armoured Division |
| Commands | Syrian Arab Army 10th Armoured Division |
| Battles/wars | Six-Day War Yom Kippur War Islamist uprising in Syria |
Hikmat al-Shihabi(Arabic:حكمت الشهابي;8 January 1931 – 5 March 2013), also known asHikmat Shihabi,was a Syrian career military officer who served as the chief of staff of theSyrian Armybetween 1974 and 1998.[1]As aSunni,he was considered one of the few non-Alawite members of the inner circle of former Syrian PresidentHafez al-Assad.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Shihabi was born into a Sunni family in 1931 inAl-Bab,Aleppo province.[3][4][5]He attendedHoms military academyand then had advanced military training in theUnited States.[5]
Career
[edit]Shihabi began his career in aviation, training in theSoviet Unionand theUnited States.[3]From 1968 to 1970 he served as deputy head of the military security directorate.[6]In 1970, he earned a Soviet degree in intelligence services. In April 1970, he was named head ofSyrian military intelligence,with ColonelAli Dubaserving as his deputy since 1971. He was promoted to a general the following year, and supervised the department of military security. After the 1973Yom Kippur War,he led the Syrian delegation to the United States in April 1974, negotiating the conditions of theSyrian–Israeli disengagement.On 12 August 1974, he was appointedchief of staff of the Syrian Army,replacingYoussef Chakkour,who was promoted to deputy defense minister. In December 1983, while PresidentHafez Assadwas ill, Shihabi was part, along with GeneralMustafa Tlassand Ali Duba, of the committee in charge of running the country.[1]From 1994 to 1995 he was part of a delegation that traveled to the United States to discuss peace negotiations with Israel.[1]His term as chief of staff lasted until 1998.[6]
Shihabii was also one ofBa'ath Party's four-member “old guard” members of theRegional Command.[7]
Resignation
[edit]On 8 July 1998, after serving 24 years as army chief of staff, Shihabi resigned his position ahead of Hafez Assad’s death and was succeeded byAli Aslan.[8][9]Citing health issues and a heart condition, Shihabi explained his resignation to President Assad, who had wished to extend his service.[10]In 2000, Syrian newspapers circulated rumors, later debunked, that Shihabi would be indicted on corruption charges.[11]
Alliances
[edit]Shihabi was one of the senior Syrian officials who were close to lateRafik Hariri,former prime minister ofLebanon,[12][13]and Lebanon's Druze leaderWalid Jumblatt.[14]
Death
[edit]Shihabi died on 5 March 2013.[3]
References
[edit]- ^abcFaure, Claude (2002).Dictionary of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Culture, History, and Politics.Macmillan Reference USA. p. 432.ISBN978-0-02-865977-0.
- ^Drysdale, Alasdair (1991).Syria and the Middle East peace process.Raymond A. Hinnebusch. New York: Council on Foreign Relations Press. p. 28.ISBN0-87609-105-2.OCLC24068106.
- ^abc"Syrian army mourns death of former chief of staff".China.5 March 2013.Retrieved5 March2013.
- ^"Assad retires chief of staff, sacks intelligence chief".Hurriyet Daily News.Cairo. AP. 4 July 1998.Retrieved8 March2013.
- ^abSami M. Moubayed (2006).Steel and Silk.Cune Press. p. 83.ISBN978-1-885942-40-1.Retrieved3 April2013.
- ^abEyal Ziser (2001).Asad's Legacy: Syria in Transition.C. Hurst, Publishers, Limited. p. 34.ISBN978-1-85065-450-6.Retrieved3 April2013.
- ^Bar, Shmuel (2006)."Bashar's Syria: The Regime and its Strategic Worldview"(PDF).IPS.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 July 2011.Retrieved12 March2013.
- ^Political Chronology of the Middle East.Routledge. 12 October 2012. p. 2038.ISBN978-1-135-35673-6.Retrieved10 February2013.
- ^Zisser, Eyal (September 2000)."Will Bashshar al-Asad Rule?".The Middle East Quarterly:3–12.Retrieved14 August2013.
- ^"خدام: خطيئة حافظ الأسد الكبرى أنه ورّث الحكم لبشار".aljazeera.net.
- ^Ghadbian, Najib (Autumn 2001)."The New Asad: Dynamics of Continuity and Change in Syria"(PDF).Middle East Journal.55(4): 624–641. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 12 December 2018.Retrieved9 March2013.
- ^William Harris (19 July 2012).Lebanon: A History, 600-2011.Oxford University Press. p. 262.ISBN978-0-19-518111-1.Retrieved10 March2013.
- ^Mugraby, Muhamad (July 2008). "The syndrome of one-time exceptions and the drive to establish the proposed Hariri court".Mediterranean Politics.13(2): 171–194.doi:10.1080/13629390802127513.S2CID153915546.Pdf.Archived12 October 2013 at theWayback Machine
- ^Glass, Charles (1 March 2007)."The lord of no man's land: A guided tour through Lebanon's ceaseless war".Harper's Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 8 February 2013.Retrieved9 April2013.
