Hay'at al-Arkan

Hay'at al-Arkan
هيئة الأركان العامة
Part of Syrian Armed Forces
Umayyad Square, Damascus in   Syria
Site information
Type	Military headquarters
Owner	Government of Syria
Operator	Syrian Armed Forces Ministry of Defense
Controlled by	Chief of the General Staff (Syria)
Open to the public	No
Condition	Damaged
Location
Hay'at al-Arkan Location in Damascus, Syria
Coordinates	33°30′50″N36°16′44″E / 33.5140°N 36.2789°E / 33.5140; 36.2789
Site history
Built for	Syrian Armed Forces
Events	1973 Syrian General Staff Headquarters raid July 2025 Damascus airstrikes

The Hay'at al-Arkan is the General Staff Command Building of the Syrian Armed Forces and the headquarters of Ministry of Defense. It is located in Umayyad Square in central Damascus. ^[1] It is the main seat of the Chief of the General Staff.

History

On 9 October 1973, Israeli Air Force F‑4 Phantom II jets struck the Syrian General Staff Headquarters in Damascus' upscale Abu Rummaneh district during the Yom Kippur War. The targeted raid, aimed at crippling Syria's military command, resulted in significant damage to the building and surrounding military and governmental offices, with casualties reported among both military personnel and civilians. ^[2]

On 26 September 2012, it was hit by two explosions. ^[3] Some reports state that parts of the building were set on fire by the explosions. ^[4]

On 16 July 2025, the Israeli Air Force bombed the entrance to the headquarters in Damascus as a warning, citing security concerns over the Syrian army's deployment to Suwayda to restore order amid the July 2025 southern Syrian clashes. ^[5] Heavier strikes targeted the Syrian military headquarters complex and caused vast damage and destruction to the main building. ^{[6] [7]} The Syrian Ministry of Health reported at least three killed and 34 injured as a result of the attacks. ^[8]

References

1. Samia Nakhoul (26 September 2012). "Explosions strike top Syrian army building". Reuters. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
2. Nicolle & Cooper 2004, pp. 66–67.
3. "Syria: Damascus hit by two explosions". Daily Telegraph. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
4. Chulov, Martin (26 September 2012). "Syrian military building rocked by twin blasts". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
5. Goldbaum, Christina (15 July 2025). "Israel Attacks Near Syria's Military Headquarters. Here's What to Know". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 16 July 2025.
6. "Presidential palace and Syrian army headquarters targeted in Damascus strikes: Israeli Channel 12". LBCI. 16 July 2025. Archived from the original on 16 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
7. "إسرائيل تقصف قصر الرئاسة ووزارة الدفاع بدمشق وكاتس يهدد بضربات "موجعة"" [Israel bombs presidential palace and defense ministry in Damascus as Katz threatens "painful strikes"]. Al Jazeera (in Arabic). 16 July 2025. Archived from the original on 16 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
8. Tawfeeq, Eyad Kourdi, Catherine Nicholls, Eugenia Yosef, Mostafa Salem, Mohammed (16 July 2025). "Powerful Israeli strikes rock Damascus as Syrian forces clash with Druze militias". CNN. Retrieved 16 July 2025.

Bibliography

• Nicolle, David; Cooper, Tom (2004). Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat. Combat Aircraft. UK: Osprey. ISBN   978-1-84176-655-3.