Latakia: Gayyas Delle has been identified as the planner behind the recent escalation of fighting in Syria’s Latakia province following attacks by former regime elements.
According to Anadolu Agency, the clashes intensified on March 6 after Assad regime elements ambushed security forces, resulting in the death of 11 officers.
Delle, who served in the notorious fourth division under the control of Maher Assad, the brother of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, has a history of involvement in several massacres across Syria. His name is associated with brutal attacks in the Moadamiyet Al Sham and Darayya areas of Damascus in 2012, where heavy weaponry was used against civilians. Furthermore, he is held accountable for the regime’s blockades in the Damascus areas of Madaya and Zabadani, leading to the starvation deaths of more than 100 victims. Delle also played a significant role in the siege of eastern Ghouta, where civilians suffered and died from hunger.
Photographs of Delle with Iranian-backed militias from the years of attacks on opposition forces and civilians continue to circulate on social media. Maher Assad, known for being a powerful regime leader with strong ties to Iran, had control over the division Delle served in. Following the collapse of the Assad regime, Delle retreated to his hometown of Latakia, where he established an underground network comprising former soldiers and militias, which he termed a “military council.” Delle declared their intention to expel government forces from Latakia and Tartus, announcing that they had begun organizing to overthrow the government.
Born in 1971 in Latakia, Delle was placed on the US sanctions list on August 20, 2020, due to his role in obstructing ceasefires in Syria. The coastal region has been experiencing heightened security tensions for the past three days following attacks by former regime elements on security patrols. Bashar Assad, who led the country for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on December 8, marking the end of the Baath Party regime that had been in power since 1963. Ahmed al-Sharaa, who spearheaded anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president on January 29 for a transitional period.