| Hekmat AlShehabi حكمت الشهابي |
|
|---|---|
| Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army | |
| In office 1974–1998 |
|
| Preceded by | Yusuf Shakkur |
| Succeeded by | Ali Aslan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1931 (age 80–81) Al-Bāb , Aleppo Governorate, Syria |
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Religion | Islam |
| Military service | |
| Rank | General |
Hekmat AlShehabi (Arabic: حكمت الشهابي) (b. Al-Bāb, Aleppo, 1931) is a former Syrian career military officer who served as the chief of staff of the Syrian Army between 1974–1998.[1]
Hekmat AlShehabi began his career in aviation, training in the Soviet Union and the United States. In 1970 he earned a Soviet degree in intelligence services. In April 1971 he was named head of intelligence services of the Syrian Army (military intelligence). He was promoted to a general the following year, and supervised the department of military security. After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, 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, assisted by Colonels Ali Duba and Ali Aslan, replacing Yusuf Shakkur, who was promoted to deputy defense minister. In December 1983, while President Hafez al-Assad was ill, Shihabi known for his loyalty was part, along with General Mustafa Tlass and Ali Duba, of the committee in charge of running the country.[1] Between 1994 and 1995 he was part of a delegation that traveled to the United States to discuss peace negotiations with Israel. He is known for being a tough negotiator.[1]
In July 1998, after twenty-four years as army chief of staff, he submitted his resignation just a few months prior to reaching the retirement age which would have eventually forced him out of service. General AlShehabi resigned while Hafiz Assad was in power. General AlShehabi moved permanently to California where he has been living there with his elder son. General AlShehabi returned to Syria a few times and has been received by president Bashar Assad once to refute any allegations about his disloyalty.
According to informed sources, Bahjat Suleiman, the head of internal affairs at the General Security Directorate and one of Bashar's closest advisers and an Alawite, made leaks to Al-Hayat, a Lebanese newspaper, taunting the clean reputation of General AlShehabi because he was afraid that he might be a threat to the presidency.