Hikmat Shihabi | |
|---|---|
حكمت الشهابي | |
 Shihabi in the 1970s | |
| Member of the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch | |
| In office 7 January 1980 – 1 July 1998 | |
| 16th Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army | |
| In office 12 August 1974 – July 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Yusuf Shakkur |
| Succeeded by | Ali Aslan |
| Head of Military Intelligence | |
| In office 1970–1973 | |
| Preceded by | Ali Zaza |
| Succeeded by | Ali Duba |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1931-01-08)8 January 1931 |
| Died | 5 March 2013(2013-03-05) (aged 82) |
| Party | Ba'ath Party |
| Awards | Hero of the Republic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | .svg/1280px-Flag_of_Syria_(1930%E2%80%931958,_1961%E2%80%931963).svg.png) Second Syrian Republic (1952–1958),_Flag_of_Syria_(1980%E2%80%932024).svg/1280px-Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Republic_(1958%E2%80%931971),_Flag_of_Syria_(1980%E2%80%932024).svg.png) United Arab Republic (1958–1961) Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963) Ba'athist Syria (1963–1998) |
| Branch/service |  Syrian Arab Army |
| Years of service | 1952–1998 |
| Rank |  Colonel General |
| Unit | 10th Armoured Division |
| Commands | 10th Armoured Division |
| Battles/wars | Six-Day War Yom Kippur War Lebanese Civil War Islamist uprising in Syria |
Hikmat al-Shihabi (Arabic: حكمت الشهابي; 8 January 1931 – 5 March 2013) was a Syrian military officer who served as the chief of staff of the Syrian Army from 1974 to 1998.[1] A Sunni Muslim, he was considered one of the few non-Alawite members of the inner circle of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.[2]
Early life and education
Shihabi was born into a Sunni family in 1931 in Al-Bab, Aleppo province.[3][4][5] He attended Homs military academy and then had advanced military training in the United States.[5]
Career
Shihabi began his career in aviation, training in the Soviet Union and the United States.[3] His term as chief of staff lasted until 1998.[6]
Shihabii was also one of Ba'ath Party's four-member “old guard” members of the Regional Command.[7]
Resignation
On 8 July 1998, after serving 24 years as army chief of staff, Shihabi resigned his position ahead of Hafez al-Assad’s death and was succeeded by Ali 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
Shihabi was one of the senior Syrian officials who were close to late Rafik Hariri, former prime minister of Lebanon,[12][13] and Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.[14]
Death
Shihabi died on 5 March 2013.[3]
References
- ^ Faure, Claude (2002). Dictionary of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Culture, History, and Politics. Macmillan Reference USA. p. 432. ISBN 978-0-02-865977-0.
- ^ Drysdale, Alasdair (1991). Syria and the Middle East peace process. Raymond A. Hinnebusch. New York: Council on Foreign Relations Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-87609-105-2. OCLC 24068106.
- ^ a b c "Syrian army mourns death of former chief of staff". China. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ^ "Assad retires chief of staff, sacks intelligence chief". Hurriyet Daily News. Cairo. AP. 4 July 1998. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ a b Sami M. Moubayed (2006). Steel and Silk. Cune Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-885942-40-1. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Eyal Ziser (2001). Asad's Legacy: Syria in Transition. C. Hurst, Publishers, Limited. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-85065-450-6. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Bar, Shmuel (2006). "Bashar's Syria: The Regime and its Strategic Worldview" (PDF). IPS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ^ Political Chronology of the Middle East. Routledge. 12 October 2012. p. 2038. ISBN 978-1-135-35673-6. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ Zisser, Eyal (September 2000). "Will Bashshar al-Asad Rule?". The Middle East Quarterly: 3–12. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- ^ "خدام: خطيئة حافظ الأسد الكبرى أنه ورّث الحكم لبشار". www.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 from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ William Harris (19 July 2012). Lebanon: A History, 600-2011. Oxford University Press. p. 262. ISBN 978-0-19-518111-1. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ 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. S2CID 153915546. Pdf. Archived 12 October 2013 at the Wayback 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 from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
