Mohammed Yaqoub al-Omar () is the former Minister of Information in the

Syrian caretaker government The Syrian caretaker government () was the provisional government of Syria. It was established in December 2024 by the Syrian opposition after the Syrian General Command appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as prime minister, replacing Mohammad ...

. He had previously served as Minister of Information in the

Syrian Salvation Government The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) was a '' de facto'' unrecognized quasi-state in Syria formed on 2 November 2017 by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other opposition groups during the Syrian civil war. It controlled much of northwest S ...

in its seventh term until December 2024.

Early life and education

Al-Omar was born in the town of Khan al-Sabil in

Idlib Governorate Idlib Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama Governorate to the sou ...

. He holds a degree in political science and is pursuing a master’s degree in journalism and media.

Activity during the civil war

Al-Omar joined the Syrian revolution in 2011 and became active in public mobilization. From 2012 to 2019, he played a big role in covering major battles in northern Syria as a journalist. He served as a member of the media office of the

Army of Conquest The Army of Conquest () or Jaish al-Fatah, abbreviated JaF, was a joint command center of Sunni Islamist Syrian rebel factions participating in the Syrian Civil War. The alliance was formed in March 2015 under the supervision and coordinati ...

and contributed to the establishment of the Media Directorate within the

. In 2019, he co-founded the

Shaam News Network Shaam News Network (S.N.N., ) is a Syrian media outlet. It is named after the Arabic name for the Levant region. It was funded by Syrian-American activists at the beginning of the Syrian revolution in 2011. It publishes videos, photos and art ...

, which focuses on delivering news from opposition-controlled areas. In 2024, following the

fall of the Assad regime On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...

and the decision that ministers of the salvation government will serve in the same roles in the transitional government until March 2025, al-Omar began serving as minister of information in the

Syrian transitional government The Syrian transitional government () is the current provisional government of Syria, formed on 29 March 2025 under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. It succeeded the Syrian caretaker government headed by Mohammed al-Bashir. The government was ...

under prime minister

Mohammed al-Bashir Mohammed al-Bashir (; born 1984) is a Syrian politician and engineer who is currently serving as Minister of Energy in the Syrian transitional government since March 2025. He previously served as the last prime minister of Syria. As prime minist ...

Career

Al-Omar's tenure as Minister of Information is characterized by efforts to reform Syria's media landscape, promoting transparency and freedom of expression during a pivotal period in the nation's history. As he stated to

Agence-France Presse Agence France-Presse (; AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. With 2,400 employees of 100 nationalities, AFP has an editorial presence in 260 c ...

: "We are working to consolidate freedoms of the press and expression that were severely restricted".

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Idlib Governorate Syrian journalists Syrian politicians Ministers of information of Syria Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham

Notes

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Early life and education

Activity during the civil war

Career

See also

References

Notes