On Sunday, Syria’s internal security leadership reported the death of Firas Abdel Karim Hamoud, known by the nickname “Al-Hal.” The former officer of the ousted regime was killed during an operation to arrest him in the city of Safita, in the countryside of Tartus province on Syria’s coast. According to the authorities, after security forces stormed his hideout, Hamoud opened fire on them, triggering a shootout.
The agency said Hamoud had already tried to fire at security personnel during a previous arrest attempt three days earlier. His location was identified after surveillance of movements between several areas. The operation was carried out jointly with the counterterrorism directorate in Tartus.
According to the Syrian authorities, under the country’s former leadership, Hamoud commanded special forces within the so-called 25th Division. After the regime fell, he used the call sign “Fajr-3” and reportedly replaced former officer Ghiyath Dala, leading groups of supporters of the ousted authorities and armed criminals along the coast.
The authorities accused Hamoud of taking part in armed rebellions on the Syrian coast last year, when government facilities came under attack. According to the official account, security and army personnel were killed during the events, while others were captured. The operation against Hamoud was part of an ongoing campaign to pursue former military personnel and officials suspected of abuses and armed attacks following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024; court proceedings in these cases began in recent months.
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What was the 25th Division of the Syrian special forces, and what role did it play in the structure of Bashar al-Assad’s forces? — The 25th Special Forces Division, formerly known as the “Tiger Forces,” was an elite, heavily armed unit that was largely loyal to Bashar al-Assad. It was led by Suheil al-Hassan. The division took part in the most intense operations of the civil war, including offensives against the armed opposition and the Islamic State*. It served as the regime’s strike force and as a partially autonomous formation closely tied to the Russian military and supported by Iran, rather than as a conventional territorial unit of the Syrian army.
Why did the coastal areas of Tartus and Latakia provinces become a center of activity for supporters of the ousted regime after Assad’s fall, and what role do local communities play in this confrontation? — These areas are historic strongholds of the Alawite community, to which the Assad family and a significant portion of the former security structures belonged. Former military personnel, security officers, and their relatives live there, while the mountainous terrain makes it easier to establish underground groups and carry out ambushes. As a result, after the regime’s fall, the coast became a natural base for its supporters. Local communities are crucial: they can provide fighters with shelter, contacts, and information, but they are also vulnerable to collective accusations and repression. An escalation of the confrontation could turn a political conflict into intercommunal violence, while protecting civilians and including local residents in the new system of governance are essential to stabilizing the region.
* “Islamic State” is a terrorist organization banned in many countries.
Full version: Former Syrian officer killed during raid to arrest him in the Tartus countryside