Executive summary

Hussein al-Salama, commonly known as Abu Mus’ab Al-Shuhayl, quietly assumed his new role as Director General of Syria’s General Intelligence Service (GIS) on 03 May 2025. A former commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and member of Al-Qaeda, his appointment was made without an official announcement from Damascus and only surfaced in limited regionally-focused press reporting several days later, after journalists forced the issue; it did not surface more widely in international press until September. The unheralded manner of his installation was likely aimed at avoiding further domestic clashes and international criticism, given his militant past. His predecessor, 38-year-old Anas Khattab was only in the Director position for five months, having been appointed in December 2024, and now serves as Interior Minister. The reasons behind the shakeup remain unclear.

Al-Salama has already engaged in high-level regional and international security and diplomatic dialogue, likely reflecting Syria’s efforts to reposition itself in a changing Middle Eastern security landscape. We assess that he will likely continue putting a strong focus on the Syrian Kurdish issue in his new role.

Profile

Al-Salama was born in 1984 in Al-Shahil, in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor. He belongs to one of the largest tribes in Mesopotamia. The Al-Uqaydat Arab tribe, which inhabits land straddling Syria’s eastern border with Iraq. His prestigious family background is the basis for his widespread influence in Syria and neighbouring countries like Iraq, according to some Syria watchers, but open-source information regarding his family is limited.

Regarding his educational background, al-Salama obtained a technical certificate from the Institute of Technical Supervisors in Damascus and holds a diploma in Management and Economics, though the issuance dates of these credentials remain unclear. He was a founding member of the Mujahideen Shura Council* in Syria and later joined Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), where he held several leadership roles. Al-Salama also chaired the Committee for Completing the Agreement between the Syrian State and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and briefly served as acting governor of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and al-Hasakah after being appointed by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani in December 2024, a position he held until January 2025.[source, source]

* The Council was a coalition of Islamist rebel factions based in Deir ez-Zor. It was established during the Syrian Civil War to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). ISIL reportedly killed the coalition’s leader in June 2014. [source, source]