Mohammed Nasif Kheirbek (, 10 April 1937 – 28 June 2015) known as ''Mohammed Nasif'' or ''Abu Wael'', was the former Deputy Vice-President for Security Affairs in Syria. He was a close adviser of Syrian President

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

and served as Syria's point-man for its relationship with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and Lebanon's Shia militias. Nasif was among several officials sanctioned by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

for the use of violence against civilians during the Syrian civil war.

Background

Mohammed Nasif Kheirbek was born 10 April 1937 in

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

but his family was from the

Alawite Alawites () are an Arabs, Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ''ghulat'' branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate A ...

village of

al-Laqbah Al-Laqbah (, also spelled al-Laqbeh or Laqbee) is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located west of Hama. It is situated along the edge of the Orontes River valley, on the main road between Masyaf and nort ...

near

Masyaf Masyaf ( ') is a city in northwestern Syria. It is the center of the Masyaf District in the Hama Governorate. As of 2004, Masyaf had a religiously diverse population of approximately 22,000 Ismailis, Alawites and Christians. The city is well kno ...

.Rosen, Nir
Assad's Alawites: An entrenched community
''

Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English (AJE; , ) is a 24-hour English-language News broadcasting, news channel operating under Al Jazeera Media Network, which is funded by the government of Qatar. Al Jazeera introduced an English-language division in 2006. It is ...

''. 2011-10-12. He was a member of the

Kalbiyya The Kalbiyya (), or Kalbi or Kelbi tribe is one of four tribes, or tribal confederations, of the Alawite community in Syria. Appearing in historical sources from the 16th century, the Kalbiyya came to prominence when Hafez al-Assad, the son of ...

tribal confederation, to which Bashar al-Assad belongs. The Kheirbek and

Assad family The Assad family ruled Syria from 1971, when Hafez al-Assad became president under the Ba'ath Party following the 1970 coup, until Bashar al-Assad was ousted on 8 December 2024. Bashar succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, after Hafez's deat ...

are also connected by marriage. His brother Mu'ein is married to one of

Rifaat al-Assad Rifaat Ali al-Assad (; born 22 August 1937) is a Syrian former military officer and politician. He is the younger brother of the late President of Syria, Hafez al-Assad, and Jamil al-Assad, and the uncle of the former President Bashar al-Assad. ...

's daughters, Tumadhir. Mohammed was the head of the powerful Kheirbek clan who are represented throughout the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

and the Syrian security apparatuses.

Career

Kheirbek was a very close adviser to the late Syrian President

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad (6 October 193010 June 2000) was a Syrian politician and military officer who was the president of Syria from 1971 until Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad, his death in 2000. He was previously the Prime Minister of Syria ...

. He was the

military attache A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily Weapon, armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

between 1971 and 1975. In the 1990s he was a central figure in relations with Iran and Lebanese Shiite militias. In 1999, he was appointed the deputy director of the General Security Directorate and then in 2005 became the deputy vice-president for security affairs. Two years later, the US froze his assets for contributing to the government of Syria's problematic behavior, which included support of international terrorism, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and the undermining of efforts in Iraq. He was also reported in 2007 to be in charge of Syria's Lebanon portfolio.

Syrian Civil War

In May 2011, Kheirbek was sanctioned by the European Union for the use of violence against protesters participating in the Syrian civil war. The following month, he reportedly traveled to Iran to meet General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the

Quds Force The Quds Force () is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War General Stanley McChrystal describes the Quds Fo ...

, a division of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which conducts special operations outside Iran. They reportedly discussed creating a supply route that would allow Iran to transfer military equipment directly to Syria by way of a new military compound at

Latakia Latakia (; ; Syrian Arabic, Syrian pronunciation: ) is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mar ...

airport.

Personal life

Kheirbek got married at an old age and had an only son called Wael.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kheirbek, Mohammed Nasif Assad family 1937 births 2015 deaths People of the Syrian civil war Syrian Alawites Syrian generals Arab_Socialist_Ba%27ath_Party_–_Syria_Region_politicians Syrian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Syrian individuals subject to the European Union sanctions Sanctioned due to Syrian civil war