Position: Former Senior Military Officer, Head of Brigade 155 (Ballistic Missiles); Former Deputy Minister of Health
Association: The Assad Regime
Loyalty: Bashar al-Assad
Most Notorious Crimes:
- Headed Brigade 155 (Ballistic Missiles), directing SCUD and surface-to-surface missile attacks on civilian areas.
- Supervised the Eastern Ghouta chemical attack in 2013, killing over 1,100 civilians, including children.
- Coordinated with the Ministry of Defense and chemical weapons program for targeting populated opposition-held areas.
- Responsible for mass destruction, civilian deaths, and forced displacement across Aleppo, Ghouta, and surrounding regions.
Joudet Salibi Muwas, born in 1954 in the village of Raba’ in western Homs, is a former senior Syrian military officer and one of the Assad regime’s most notorious figures in the use of military force against civilians. He rose through the artillery and missile divisions, ultimately heading Brigade 155, a unit specializing in Scud and surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. In 2013, he oversaw missile strikes on Aleppo and its suburbs, resulting in mass destruction, hundreds of civilian deaths, and large-scale displacement. The same year, he supervised the chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta, which killed over 1,100 civilians, including more than 100 children, as confirmed by UN and Syrian human rights reports.
Salibi Muwas served as a critical link between the Syrian Ministry of Defense and the General Organization for Technical Industries, which managed the regime’s chemical weapons program. His actions made him a central figure in the Assad regime’s strategy of targeting populated areas with both conventional and chemical weapons. In 2016, he was named by U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power at the UN as one of the key regime leaders responsible for atrocities against civilians. He is subject to sanctions from the European Union, the UK, Canada, and the U.S. for his role in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Identity
Full Name: Joudet Salibi Muwas (جودت صليبي مواس)
Date of Birth:1954
Place of Birth: Raba’, Homs Governorate, Syria
Nationality: Syrian
Career Timeline
Pre-2011: Advanced through Syrian Army artillery and missile units.
2011: Assigned to Brigade 155, specializing in SCUD and other ballistic missiles near Qutayfah, Damascus.
2013: Oversaw missile strikes on Aleppo neighborhoods, causing hundreds of civilian casualties and mass displacement. Supervised the Eastern Ghouta chemical attack on 21 August 2013, responsible for over 1,100 deaths.
Post-2013: Continued as head of Brigade 155, linking military operations with Syria’s chemical weapons program.
2016: Publicly named by the U.S. at the UN among senior regime leaders responsible for attacks on civilians.
Crimes & Responsibilities
- Missile Strikes on Civilian Areas: Directed SCUD and surface-to-surface missile attacks on Aleppo and surrounding suburbs, causing widespread civilian casualties.
- Chemical Weapons Attack: Supervised the Eastern Ghouta chemical attack that killed over 1,100 civilians, including women and children.
- Coordination with Defense and Weapons Programs: Acted as a liaison between the Ministry of Defense and the chemical weapons production apparatus.
- War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity: Named by international bodies and human rights organizations as responsible for systematic attacks on civilians, contributing to mass displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Legal Proceedings & Sanctions
Listed under EU, UK, Canadian, and U.S. sanctions for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Current Status/Whereabouts
Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Muwas’ current whereabouts are unknown.
