Anas Khattab

Anas Hasan Khattab (; born 7 April 1986), nom de guerre, Abu Ahmad Hudood is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander who has served as the incumbent minister of Interior in the Syrian transitional government since 29 March 2025 and current director of the National Security Office since 19 July 2026.

He was the deputy commander of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham under Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the head of the General Security Apparatus within the group.

Early life and education Anas Hasan Khattab, was born in April 1986 in the town of Jayrud, located in the western Qalamoun region of Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria. He initially studied architectural engineering at the University of Damascus before leaving Syria for Iraq in 2008. His departure was reportedly motivated by his intent to "fight against the American occupation" during that time.

Career

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham Khattab joined Al-Nusra Front (later Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham) in 2012 and quickly rose through its ranks. He became known for his strategic and intelligence capabilities, playing a critical role in securing the group's dominance in the Idlib region. He was instrumental in dismantling rival factions, including Hurras al-Din, by penetrating their ranks and orchestrating precision operations.

As the head of the General Security Apparatus, Khattab oversaw efforts to eliminate extremist factions such as ISIL in Idlib, employing sophisticated infiltration and rapid-response tactics. His leadership has been credited with maintaining relative stability in HTS-controlled areas. The meeting came immediately following a deal between the Syrian government and Kurdish militias in North East Syria who have clashed with Turkish forces in the past.

On 29 March 2025, Khattab was appointed Minister of Interior in the Syrian transitional government.

Personal life Khattab is reportedly multilingual and is known for his preference for operating behind the scenes. Despite his prominence, no public images of him have been released until his appointment on 26 December 2024. His professional background in architecture contrasts with the political and economic studies pursued by many of his contemporaries in Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.

On 12 February 2026, the United Nations, along with its secretary-general, said that Khattab was a target of 5 ISIL and Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah backed assassination attempts, along with foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani and president al-Sharaa.

Controversies Khattab had faced allegations of involvement in the assassination of rival jihadist leaders via U.S. drone strikes, accusations frequently leveled by factions such as Hurras al-Din. The UN's designation included targeted sanctions against Khattab. After Bashar al-Assad fled Syria in December 2024, the new Syrian government of which Khattab is Interior Minister has requested that these sanctions be lifted. In November 2025, with the support of the United States and other countries, the UN Security Council lifted the sanctions against him, along with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. On 7 November, the United Kingdom announced the removal of Khattab and al-Sharaa from its sanctions list, stating that he was no longer subject to asset freezes.

The Turkish government resisted these designations until November 2016, when they too designated Khattab a terrorist, but intelligence cooperation continued and even expanded as HTS solidified its control over Idlib. Despite their intelligence cooperation, in 2021, the Turkish Interior Ministry released a report which designated Khattab as affiliated with ISIL.