Ali Habib is
well known in Syrian society mostly because he served as the chief of staff
between 2004 and 2009 (known to young draftees and hence families).
Life
General Ali
Habib was born in 1939 in Safita, Tartous. He graduated from War Academy in
1962. He took part in October War, 1973. He also led Brigade 58 as the Syrian
army entered Beirut. He was captured by the Israelis for three days. He was
appointed chief of staff deputy in 2002 and the chief of staff and the deputy
commander of the armed forces in 2004. The defense minister in 2009. He was
replaced by General Dawoud Rajha in 2011.
According to this article written
by Mohammed Khair Ahmed, who says he's related to him from his wife's side,
General Habib put forward a proposal to Bashar Al Assad to deal with the
protests in Hama peacefully (then, the Hama protests were massive, the largest
in Syria since the beginning of the uprising). Assad rejected the proposal.
General Jamil Hassan visited General Habib in his home, which is located on the
way to Beirut from Damascus (towers where Russian military experts live,
according to Mohammed Khair Ahmed). The former tried to persuade the general to
form a military council and military commander who will work under the
intelligence services rather than the defense ministry to lead the operations
in Hama (the same was done in Idlib, Homs, Banias and Deraa).
Why important
now?
He is
particularly important in terms of politics now. In 2011 August, he was
replaced by General Dawoud Rajha. Rumour had it that he was sacked after
refusing to shell the city of Hama without written orders. Syrian state-run
media said he was replaced for health reasons - and after the rumours, he
appeared in a televised statement denying the rumours (watch here).
He is an acceptable face for the United States, Saudi Arabia and (many in) the
Syrian opposition. Interestingly, the Syrian opposition at the time said he
could have played a vital role in the transition.
The general was an old friend to the Saudis since he led the Syrian troops that
participated in the US-led military action against Saddam Hussain to liberate
Kuwait in 1991. He is said to be a personal friend of Bandar bin Sultan, the
Saudi intelligence chief since July 2012 (he assumed that role reportedly to
handle the Syrian dossier). According to media reports, during the meeting
between Prince Bandar and Vladimir Putin a few
weeks ago, General Habib's name was dropped. The reports claim that
Prince Bandar suggested General Habib represent the Alawites in a Sunni-Alawite
transition plan. The reports say no agreement was reached.
General Habib is a salvageable regime figure. His ties to the Russians, as a
member of the regime, together with his ties to the Saudis and the Americans
make him an acceptable candidate to bolster the opposition's status.
Previously, Manaf Tlas was proposed to take such a role but Tlas is
unacceptable to many especially conservative Syrians who think he was a "womaniser"
and corrupt.
General
Habib is a career officer who was not involved in the bloodshed during the
current uprising. His defection at this time is significant. As the US is
debating military action in Syria, a strategy that includes helping the Syrian
opposition formulate a plan for transition might prove to be a turning
point
Follow Hassan Hassan on Twitter and
like the blog on Facebook
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.