Ali Haydar (Syrian army officer)

Ali Haydar
Ali Haydar
Native name	علي حيدر‎
Born	1932; Hallet Ara, Jableh District, Alawite State
Died	5 August 2022 (aged 89–90); Latakia, Syria
Allegiance	Syria
Service/branch	Syrian Arab Army
Years of service	1952–1994
Rank	Major General
Unit	14th Special Forces Division
Commands held	Special Forces Command (1968–1988, 1990–1994)
Battles/wars	Lebanese Civil War; Islamist Uprising in Syria Siege of Aleppo; Hama Massacre; ;

Ali Haydar (Arabic: علي حيدر‎; 1932 – 5 August 2022), known as the "Father of the Syrian Special Forces", was a Syrian military officer who was the commander of the Syrian Special Forces for 26 years. He was a close confidant to President Hafez al-Assad and one of the members of Assad's inner circle. Born in the village of Hallet Ara, Haydar was a member of the Ba'ath Party from his youth. He was commissioned into the Syrian Army in 1952 after a stint studying at the Homs Military Academy. After the Ba'ath Party seized power in a 1963 coup d'état, Haydar was put in charge of Syria's special forces and supported al-Assad in his rise to the presidency. During this time he was deployed to Lebanon during their civil war. Haydar opposed the 1984 coup d'état attempt led by Rifaat al-Assad, instead remaining loyal to Hafez al-Assad. After suffering an aneurysm and leaving his post in 1988, he returned to lead the special forces again in the early 1990s. At the time a Major General, he was formally removed from his position and then imprisoned in August 1994, though he was treated well during his brief prison stay and was released without a trial or public humiliation. Haydar died in Latakia at the age of 90.