In the world of politics and security, there are no coincidences. So what if these “coincidences” follow a suspicious timeline, striking down military commanders, security officials, and prominent political figures within a span of just a few months?
A careful reading of the sequence of events from late February to early June reveals a strict intelligence approach to settling scores. The primary beneficiary lurks in the corridors of Syrian intelligence, while the victims’ death certificates cite medical causes like a “sudden heart attack” or security-related ones like the “bullets of unknown gunmen.” We are witnessing a systematic liquidation campaign aimed at redrawing the map of influence, disposing of tools whose expiration dates have passed, or eliminating figures who have become a burden on the new security phase.
“Medical Assassinations”… Silent Liquidations Under the Guise of Heart Attacks
Since late February, a specific pattern has emerged in the liquidation of military and political leaders, relying on sudden death labeled as “myocardial infarction” (heart attack). This medical justification, long adopted by security apparatuses to cover up assassinations using chemical or biological agents that leave no obvious trace, has claimed the lives of a series of prominent figures:
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Abdul-Sattar al-Sayyed (February 25): The former Syrian Minister of Awqaf (Religious Endowments), whose death was announced following a “heart attack” in the Russian capital, Moscow. An event that raises legitimate questions about the significance of the location and timing for a figure possessing a vast archive of the regime’s political and religious secrets.
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Brigadier General Hussein Abdullah al-Obeid (March 3): Commander of the 54th Division, whose medical file was closed with a diagnosis of a myocardial infarction.
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Brigadier General Abdul Majid Dubeis: Assistant Head of the Training Authority, who followed his predecessors with the exact same diagnosis.
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Simultaneous Liquidations Across Zones of Influence (March): The matter was not limited to direct regime officers; the intelligence arms extended to target other names in different regions and factions using the same method. This includes commander Muadh al-Rifai in the Damascus countryside, Nader Muhammad Mutlaq, and Colonel Mousa al-Mawas, who is affiliated with Jolani’s factions.
The frequency of this uniform medical diagnosis for first- and second-tier military and security figures, occurring within such a narrow timeframe, can only be read in the context of “reshaping the landscape” and quietly eliminating power centers the regime no longer trusts, all without arousing public opinion or initiating official investigations.
The Bullets of Unknown Assailants… Public Liquidations in the Field
If medical assassination is the preferred option behind closed doors, then the bullets of “unknown assailants” are the authorized tool in the field. Entering May, the tactic shifted toward public liquidations aimed at causing security paralysis and delivering decisive messages:
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Infiltration in al-Bukamal (May 27): The killing of Rateb Hashem Ismail al-Atiwi, the Diplomatic Security official in Deir ez-Zor. A security breach targeting a figure of this weight in a highly sensitive area like the village of Mouzan could not possibly be executed by mere “passing gunmen” without cover and logistical facilitation from influential entities.
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Shuffling the Deck in the East (May 26): The killing of Nasser Mufleh al-Ismail al-Saleh east of Deir ez-Zor. What is striking here is the attackers’ use of “Islamic State” slogans to accuse the victim of working for the “New Syrian Intelligence.” This classic Syrian intelligence tactic relies on using extremist organizations as a front to liquidate opponents or double agents while concealing the true perpetrator.
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Targeting Military Personnel (May – June): The continuation of the series with the assassination of Hussein Auriq (a member of the Ministry of Defense) in the Latakia countryside, and the liquidation of the Chechen fighter “Mustafa al-Rusi” in Idlib. These assassination operations cross traditional front lines, confirming the existence of a centralized administration that invests in and directs the chaos.
Why Now? And What is the Goal?
This series of events cannot be separated from the regional and domestic moves aimed at restructuring the Syrian regime. The growing discourse about the “New Syrian Intelligence” project or the integration of security apparatuses requires, as a first step, the removal of the old guard, the clipping of warlords’ wings, and ending the role of figures who have accumulated influence that might hinder Damascus’s new security centralization.
The Syrian government proves once again that its primary strategy for managing political and security transitions is physical liquidation. Whether this is carried out through a silent operation recorded in registries as a heart attack, or via a security ambush filed against “unknown,” the result is the same: the liquidation machine has recalibrated its tools to suit the current phase. These are not isolated incidents; they represent a state policy that builds its alleged “stability” on the ruins of its former allies and instruments.