Saleh al-Abdullah

Major General

Saleh al-Abdullah
Major General; Saleh al-Abdullah
Native name	صالح العبدالله
Nickname	The Lion (السبع)
Born	1967 (age 58–59); Taiba, Safita, Tartus, Syria
Allegiance	Ba'athist Syria
Branch	Syrian Arab Army
Rank	Major general
Commands	25th Special Mission Forces Division; 30th Division; Security and Military Committee in Aleppo; 16th Brigade; Security and Military Committee in Maharda; 224th Battalion
Conflicts	Syrian civil war Siege of Daraa; Siege of Hama (2011); Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016) Aleppo offensive (October–December 2013); Operation Canopus Star; Aleppo offensive (November–December 2016); ; Battle of Idlib (2015); Northwestern Syria offensive (April–June 2015); Aleppo offensive (October–December 2015); 2016 Khanasir offensive; 2016 Latakia offensive; East Aleppo offensive (2017); 2017 Southern Raqqa offensive; Deir ez-Zor offensive (September–November 2017); Rif Dimashq offensive (February–April 2018); 2018 Southern Syria offensive; Northwestern Syria offensive (April–August 2019); Northwestern Syria offensive (2019–2020); Daraa insurgency 2021 Daraa offensive; ; Syrian Desert campaign (December 2017 – December 2024); 2024 Syrian opposition offensives Battle of Aleppo (2024); ; ;

Saleh al-Abdullah (Arabic: صالح العبدالله; born 1967), nicknamed The Lion, is a Syrian former military officer who had served as commander of the 25th Special Mission Forces Division, an elite special forces unit formerly known as the Tiger Forces, from April 2024 until the fall of the Assad regime. He previously served as commander of the 30th Division from 2022 to 2024, head of the Security and Military Committee in Aleppo from 2023 to 2024, and commander of the Russian-affiliated 16th Brigade since 2020.

He began his military career in the 1980s, serving in the 7th Division upon graduating from Homs Military Academy. Upon the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, he participated in storming operations in Daraa and Hama Governorate. In 2015, he was promoted to assistant of Suhayl al-Hasan and as Operations Officer of the Tiger Forces, overseeing its troop deployment throughout various campaigns, such as during Operation Northern Storm and the Dawn of Idlib offensive.