Hikmat al-Shihabi ( ar, حكمت الشهابي; 8 January 1931 – 5 March 2013), also known as ''Hikmat Shihabi'', was a Syrian career military officer, who served as the chief of staff of the

Syrian Army " (''Guardians of the Homeland'') , colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive * Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki , anniversaries = August 1st , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War Six-D ...

between 1974 and 1998. As a

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...

, he was considered one of several non-Alawi members of the inner circle of former Syrian President

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 1 ...

Early life and education

Shihabi was born into a Sunni family in 1931 in

Al-Bab Al-Bab ( ar, الْبَاب / ALA-LC: ''al-Bāb'') is a city, ''de jure'' administratively belonging to the Aleppo Governorate of the Syrian Arab Republic. As of December 2016, the city is under the control of pro-Turkish militias, as part of t ...

, Aleppo province. He attended

Homs military academy Homs Military Academy is a military educational and training institution located in Homs, Syria. Homs Military Academy was founded in 1933 by France during the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. During the period of French administration the Ac ...

and then had advanced military training in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Career

Shihabi began his career in aviation, training in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

and the

. From 1968 to 1971 he served as deputy head of the military security department. In 1970, he earned a Soviet degree in intelligence services. In April 1971, he was named head of

Syrian military intelligence The Military Intelligence Directorate ( ar, شعبة المخابرات العسكرية, translit=Shu'bat al-Mukhabarat al-'Askariyya), is the military intelligence service of Syria. Although its roots go back to the French mandate period (192 ...

, with Colonel Ali Duba serving as his deputy. He was promoted to a general the following year, and supervised the department of military security. After the 1973

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by E ...

, he led the Syrian delegation to the United States in April 1974, negotiating the conditions of the Syrian–Israeli disengagement. On 12 August 1974, he was appointed chief of staff of the Syrian Army, replacing

Youssef Chakkour Yusuf ( ar, يوسف ') is a male name of Arabic origin meaning "God increases" (in piety, power and influence).From the Hebrew יהוה להוסיף ''YHWH Lhosif'' meaning " YHWH will increase/add". It is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew nam ...

, who was promoted to deputy defense minister. In December 1983, while President

Hafez Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 197 ...

was ill, Shihabi was part, along with General Mustafa Tlass and Ali Duba, of the committee in charge of running the country. From 1994 to 1995 he was part of a delegation that traveled to the United States to discuss peace negotiations with Israel. His term as chief of staff lasted until 1998. Shihabii was also one of

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused ...

's four-member “old guard” members of the Regional Command.

Resignation

On 8 July 1998, after 24 years as army chief of staff, Shihabi resigned his post prior to Hafez Assad's death and was succeeded by

Ali Aslan Ali Aslan ( ar, علي أصلان) (born 1932) is a former chief of staff of the Syrian Army, a member of the Central Committee of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and a close confidant of the late Syrian president H ...

. Shihabi cited health reasons and a heart condition when asked about his resignation by president Assad who wanted to extend his service. In 2000, rumors surfaced in Syrian newspapers, which proved false, claiming that Shihabi would soon be indicted on corruption charges.

Alliances

Shihabi was one of the senior Syrian officials who were close to late

Rafik Hariri Rafik is the given name of: * Rafik Al-Hariri (1944–2005), business tycoon, former Prime Minister of Lebanon * Rafik Bouderbal (born 1987), French-born Algerian player currently playing for ES Sétif in the Algerian Championnat National * Rafik ...

, former prime minister of

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

, and Lebanon's Druze leader

Walid Jumblatt Walid Kamal Jumblatt ( ar, وليد جنبلاط; born 7 August 1949) is a Lebanese Druze politician and former militia commander who has been leading the Progressive Socialist Party since 1977. While leading the Lebanese National Resistance ...

Death

Shihabi died on 5 March 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shihabi, Hikmat 1931 births 2013 deaths Homs Military Academy alumni People from Al-Bab District Syrian Sunni Muslims Chiefs of Staff of the Syrian Army Members of the Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region People of the Islamic uprising in Syria