Mustafa Tlass Biography

Mustafa Tlass was a Syrian army officer and politician who served as Syria’s Minister of Defense from 1972 to 2004. Born in a Sunni Muslim family, he joined the military academy after completing his primary and secondary education from a local school,. While at the academy, he met Hafez al-Assad—who later become the President of Syria. Hafez played a pivotal role in establishing Tlass as a military officer and as a strong politician in later years. When Assad was arrested by the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser post the breakup of United Arab Republic, Tlass escaped to Syria and helped in escorting Assad’s family to a safe location. Later in life, as Assad rose to prominence in the Syrian government, he appointed Tlass to the Ba'ath Military Committee, giving him the command of a small armed division. Both the friends held on together, proving their loyalties through numerous political struggles which prevailed in Syria over years. Eventually, when Assad became a self-proclaimed dictator of Syria, Tlass joined his government as the new Minister of Defense, a post he held for more than three decades. Tlass also emerged as an important patron of Syrian literature and published several books of his own which were internationally criticized for their alleged anti-Semitic materials. After Assad died and his son succeeded him as the leader of Syria, Tlass resigned from his position and moved away from the political scenario.