Ali Noureddine al-Naasan

Ali Noureddine al-Naasan is a Syrian military officer and former rebel commander who serves as the incumbent chief of staff of the Syrian Armed Forces in the Syrian transitional government. Prior to the Syrian civil war, al-Naasan served as a Syrian Army officer under the Ba'athist government, later defecting in early 2011 to the Syrian opposition.

Biography

Early life and career He was born in the town of Taybat al-Imam, Hama Governorate during the mid-1970s, he was nicknamed "Abu Hamza". Al-Naasan studied locally at Taybat al-Imam before graduating as an officer with distinction from a military academy, he assumed leadership positions in infantry and armored units of the Syrian Arab Army. After the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011 he defected to the Syrian Opposition, participating in fighting in North Syria. Al-Naasan became a military commander in Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and was a commander in the HTS-led Military Operations Command during the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives.

On 9 January 2025, Al Jazeera reported that al-Naasan's appointment as Chief of the General Staff was confirmed.