Assad Regime Arrests Close Associate Amid Internal Struggle

Assad Regime Arrests Close Associate Amid Internal Struggle
November 3, 2024, 8:54 am

شاهر الشاهر

Exclusive sources revealed to Syria TV that security forces arrested an associate of President Bashar al-Assad, identified as Shaher al-Shaher, days ago. Al-Shaher previously served as an advisor to the Minister of Economy in the regime and was a candidate to become the regime's ambassador to China.

The arrest occurred while Al-Shaher was visiting his personal friend, Minister of Industry Mohammad Samer El-Khalil. The two have shared a friendship since Al-Shaher was sent to Sun Yat-sen University in China several years ago. Sources indicate that the arrest reflects an ongoing power struggle within the Assad regime.

According to the sources, Bashar al-Assad met with Al-Shaher during a visit to China last year and praised his efforts to strengthen bilateral relations. It is presumed that an intelligence report from the military attaché at the regime's embassy in China contributed to his arrest. Other indications point to the former palace minister, who was dissatisfied with Assad’s personal reception of Al-Shaher, which also irritated the Syrian ambassador to China, Mohammad Hassanein Khaddam. The ambassador viewed this personal meeting as an encroachment on his diplomatic authority and fabricated charges against Al-Shaher to eliminate him from the political landscape, particularly after encouraging his return to Syria following years abroad.

As usual, the Syrian regime attempted to provide a legal façade for the arrest, claiming that Al-Shaher was carrying “one kilogram of gold and $100,000” upon his return through Damascus International Airport a month ago with his children and wife, Taj Ibrahim, who had completed her diplomatic assignment in Bahrain.

Informed sources revealed that Al-Shaher was among those summoned by current Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jlala, who met with several candidates for the recent cabinet formation. However, specific political balances prevented his appointment, especially since Deir ez-Zor and the eastern region had no representation in the new formation.

It is noteworthy that Al-Shaher is a graduate of the Political Science College at Damascus University and obtained his PhD from Aleppo University in 2008. He was a professor at Al-Furat University before his assignment to the Chinese university and has published numerous books, including "Manifestations of the War on Syria" (with a preface by Faisal al-Miqdad, Vice President) and "The State, Authority, Citizenship, and Syrian Foreign Policy 2000-2010," among others. He also received the State Appreciation Award for Studies in 2019 and previously held several positions, including Head of the Political Studies and Strategic Research Department at the Arab Center for Strategic Studies and Director of the National Center for Research and Strategic Studies. He is also the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Iranian Horizons."

His last media appearance, according to his Facebook page, was on August 16, 2024, when he was summoned to Damascus as a candidate for the new cabinet.

Additionally, sources reported that Al-Shaher is not the only academic or media figure to be arrested; the regime detained two prominent journalists, Tamim Douhi, who worked for state television, and his brother, Hussam Douhi, who was employed by the regime-affiliated newspaper Al-Thawra, days earlier.

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