Murhaf Abu Qasra

Supported by independent sources

In December 2024 the new authorities’ General Command named Murhaf Abu Qasra, a former agronomist who had led the armed wing of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham for five years, as defence minister, AFP reported. ¹ SANA still referred to him as Defence Minister in September 2026. ²

Supported by independent sources

Human Rights Watch describes the March 2025 security operation on the coast as “centrally coordinated” and “overseen by the Ministry of Defense”, which assigned zones to factions; it found no direct evidence of orders to commit violations. ³

The UN Commission of Inquiry reported in 2026 that entire former factions, including leaders subjected to sanctions for human rights abuses, were integrated under the Defence Ministry with their membership and reporting lines largely intact, and that the responsibilities of senior officials and commanders for the coastal violence had not yet been clarified. ⁴

Supported by independent sources

Ministry of Defence units took part in the July 2025 government operation in Sweida, and on 15 July he announced a complete ceasefire after government forces entered the city. The UN Commission of Inquiry documented killings and other violations against Druze civilians by members of government forces, including the Syrian Arab Army, as well as by tribal fighters, and abuses by Druze armed groups against Bedouins. On 22 July he said he was aware of “shocking and serious violations” by an unknown group in military uniform, and the ministry pledged accountability. Amnesty International wrote to him and to the Interior Minister in August 2025 and received no response. The sources do not find that he ordered the violations. ^{6 7}