The Syrian military raised its alert level and ordered forces to report immediately to their units on Tuesday, amid unexplained troop movements across several parts of the country.
Saudi-owned Al Arabiya reported that numerous Syrian military formations had been mobilized, although Damascus did not publicly explain the reason for the heightened readiness. Unofficial Syrian sources initially described the activity as a military exercise.
At the same time, Sabereen News, an outlet associated with pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, reported that Syrian military reinforcements had been deployed toward the Syrian-Iraqi border.
However, reports emerging from Syria suggest that the unusual mobilization may be connected not to an external threat, but to an internal confrontation within the country’s newly reorganized armed forces.
Reported Confrontation With Abu Amsha
According to Syrian sources, President Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, recently held a tense meeting with Brigadier General Mohammed Hussein al-Jassem, better known as Abu Amsha.
Abu Amsha commands the Syrian Army’s 62nd Division, which is largely composed of former fighters from the Turkish-backed Sultan Suleiman Shah Division. His former militia was incorporated into Syria’s reorganized armed forces following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
The reports claim that al-Sharaa attempted to force Abu Amsha to step down and transfer control of his forces to Brigadier General Jamil al-Saleh, commander of the Syrian Army’s 74th Division.
Al-Saleh, a former Syrian Army officer who defected in 2012, later founded and commanded Jaysh al-Izza, one of the most prominent opposition factions operating in the Hama region. He was subsequently appointed to lead the newly established 74th Division.
Abu Amsha reportedly rejected the demand and threatened to launch an armed rebellion with forces still considered personally loyal to him.
Those claims, including the reported meeting, the threat of rebellion and the proposed transfer of command to al-Saleh, have not yet been officially confirmed by the Syrian government.
Forces Deployed Around Division Bases
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reportedly recorded significant troop movements, the declaration of maximum readiness and the deployment of General Security patrols and checkpoints around 62nd Division positions.
Additional security forces were reportedly deployed in major cities and military areas in Hama and Idlib.
Unverified reports circulating on Syrian social media have claimed that Abu Amsha subsequently disappeared from public view or was placed under house arrest. Neither claim has been independently confirmed.
Other reports suggest that Turkish intelligence officials are attempting to mediate between the sides to prevent the dispute from developing into an armed confrontation within the Syrian military. That reported mediation also remains unconfirmed.
Abu Amsha has long been a controversial figure. The US Treasury sanctioned him and the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade in 2023, accusing the group of abductions, extortion, forced displacement and other serious abuses against Kurdish residents in northern Syria.
Al-Sharaa Seeks Control Over Former Militias
The reported crisis comes as al-Sharaa attempts to transform the loose collection of opposition factions that overthrew Assad into a unified national army.
Although former militias have formally been incorporated into the Ministry of Defense, many continue to retain their old commanders, internal hierarchies and personal loyalties.
Syrian sources believe al-Sharaa is now trying to dismantle those remaining factional structures and place the military under the direct control of the central government and commanders aligned with his former organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Removing Abu Amsha would therefore represent more than a routine personnel change. It would test whether Damascus can impose genuine centralized authority over commanders who possess their own fighters, regional influence and external connections.
The movements toward the Iraqi border may be part of the broader state of readiness. However, some Syrian observers have suggested that they could also serve as a diversion from the quieter confrontation unfolding around the 62nd Division.
IDF: Alert Is Not Directed at Israel
Israeli military officials sought to calm concerns over the Syrian mobilization, saying the heightened alert was not connected to preparations for action against Israel.
According to the IDF assessment, the change in Syria’s military posture is related to internal tensions in northern Syria, in an area far from the Israeli border.
The IDF also noted that Syrian forces are not deployed inside the Golan Heights buffer zone, where Israeli troops are currently operating. The military therefore sees no immediate danger of friction between the Israeli and Syrian armies.
Information regarding the Syrian alert was nevertheless passed to Israeli local authorities in the Golan Heights.
The development comes as al-Sharaa’s government is simultaneously pursuing security negotiations with Israel. The Syrian president has said he hopes a limited security arrangement could eventually open the way to a broader peace agreement, while insisting that Damascus will not abandon its claim to sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
For now, the precise cause and scale of the Syrian alert remain unclear. But the available reports increasingly suggest that the mobilization may reflect a struggle over who truly controls Syria’s new army, the central government in Damascus or the former militia commanders who helped bring it to power.
