Ali Haydar | |
|---|---|
| Native name | علي حيدر |
| Born | 1932 Hallet Ara, Jableh District, Alawite State |
| Died | 5 August 2022 (aged 89–90) Beit Yashout, Latakia, Syria |
| Allegiance |  Syria |
| Service |  Syrian Arab Army |
| Years of service | 1952–1994 |
| Rank | &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Syria-Liwa.jpg){kind=small} Major General |
| Unit | 14th Special Forces Division |
| Commands | Special Forces Command (1968–1988, 1990–1994) |
| Battles / wars | |
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.