Syria: Wide Government Changes, Trial of Atef Najeeb.. UN Movements in Daraa
Atef Najeeb trial at the Palace of Justice: Live Broadcast Halted and 8 Senior Assad-Era Officials Stripped of Rights
Syria is witnessing simultaneous political, judicial, and economic activity, as President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a series of presidential decrees including appointments to senior positions and the dismissal of his brother Maher al-Sharaa from the post of Secretary-General of the Presidency.
This coincided with judicial developments represented by a public trial of the accused Atef Najeeb, as the court also issued a decision to strip Bashar al-Assad and a number of former senior officials of their civil rights.
Southern Syria witnessed movements by United Nations forces, while the “Mahruqat” company announced new prices for petroleum derivatives.
Presidential Appointments
President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued four decrees including changes to sensitive positions. Under Decree No. (98), Abdul Rahman Badr al-Din al-Aama was appointed Secretary-General of the Presidency, replacing Maher al-Sharaa. Al-Aama had previously served as Governor of Homs between 2024 and 2026.
Decree No. (100) appointed Khaled Fawaz Zaarour as Minister of Information, replacing former Minister Hamza Mustafa. Zaarour had previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Media at Damascus University in 2025.
The changes also included the appointment of Basel Hafez al-Suwaidan as Minister of Agriculture under Decree No. (101), replacing Amjad Badr. Al-Suwaidan holds a background in agricultural engineering and management of agricultural investment companies.
Dismissal of Maher al-Sharaa
Within the same changes, Maher al-Sharaa, the younger brother of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, was dismissed from his position as Secretary-General of the Presidency, which he had assumed under a special decree in April 2025.
No official information has been released regarding the possibility of him assuming any alternative position. It is worth noting that Maher al-Sharaa, born in 1973, studied general medicine at Voronezh State Medical Academy in Russia, specialized in obstetrics and gynecology, and worked in Syrian and Russian hospitals before his appointment to the presidential position.
Appointment of Four New Governors in Quneitra, Homs, Latakia, and Deir ez-Zor
The presidential decrees also extended to governor positions, as President al-Sharaa issued four consecutive decrees numbered 102 to 105. Decree No. (102) appointed Ghassan Elias al-Sayyed Ahmed as Governor of Quneitra, replacing Ahmed al-Dalati. Decree No. (103) appointed Marahf Khaled al-Nassan as Governor of Homs. Decree No. (104) appointed Ahmed Ali Mustafa as Governor of Latakia. Finally, Decree No. (105) appointed Ziyad Fawaz al-Ayesh as Governor of Deir ez-Zor.
These appointments come within broader administrative changes, as President al-Sharaa had previously issued decrees in April 2026 to restructure the energy, water, and mining sectors.
Trial of Atef Najeeb and Stripping Bashar al-Assad and Maher al-Assad of Civil Rights
The second session of the public trial of the accused Atef Najeeb began at the Palace of Justice in Damascus. Najeeb faces charges of “systematic mass killing, arbitrary detention, and participation in the Al-Omari Mosque massacre.”
The area surrounding the palace witnessed heavy security deployment. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan ordered a halt to the live broadcast of media outlets from inside the courtroom to protect witnesses and maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information, allowing only prosecution and public prosecution representatives to remain.
In another ruling, the Fourth Criminal Court decided to strip Bashar al-Assad and Maher al-Assad (brothers of the ousted president) of their civil rights and place their movable and immovable assets under government administration.
The ruling also included the stripping of civil rights and confiscation of assets from former Defense Minister Fahd Jassem al-Freij, Muhammad Ayyoub, Louay al-Ali, Qussi Mayhoub, Wafiq Nasser, and Talal al-Asimi.
UN Movements in Daraa and Israeli Aircraft Overflights in the Province’s Skies
On the ground, local sources in Daraa province reported that two vehicles belonging to United Nations forces entered the village of Jamlah in the western countryside on the evening of Saturday, May 9, under cover of darkness.
The UN forces, stationed in the “disengagement” areas between Syria and Israel, aim to document repeated Israeli incursions and violations of the agreement signed in the 1970s, and to follow up on citizen complaints regarding shelling, raids, and land leveling by Israeli forces.
These movements coincided with intensive overflights by Israeli warplanes in Daraa province’s skies, specifically in the eastern and western countrysides, at varying altitudes.
The Israeli aircraft did not launch any airstrikes, limiting their activity to surveillance and monitoring, causing a state of anticipation and concern among residents about potential escalation in the coming period.
Urgent | Horan Free Media correspondent: Two UN vehicles enter the village of Jamlah in western Daraa countryside, the first time they have entered the village at night. #Horan_Free_Media pic.twitter.com/Ip9he2zWY7
— Horan Free Media (@HoranFreeMedia) May 9, 2026
Adjustment of Petroleum Derivative Prices
The Syrian Company for Storage and Distribution of Petroleum Products announced new prices for petroleum derivatives in the local market, due to rising supply, transportation, and production costs, as well as changes in global oil prices and shipping and insurance costs.
The new prices, denominated in US dollars, are as follows: First-grade diesel at $0.88 per liter, 90-octane gasoline at $1.10 per liter, 95-octane gasoline at $1.15 per liter, domestic gas cylinder at $12.50, and industrial gas cylinder at $20.
The company also set prices in the new Syrian pound based on an exchange rate of 133 pounds per dollar for fuel.
The company confirmed that it bears significant operational burdens related to transportation, storage, maintenance, and rising energy costs, and that the price adjustment aims to ensure supply stability and prevent shortages of derivatives across provinces, noting that prices are subject to periodic review to ensure continued availability of the product in local markets.
Prime Minister of Lebanon Nawaf Salam had arrived in the capital Damascus leading a high-level ministerial delegation and met with President al-Sharaa, in a step reflecting new political and economic movement between Lebanon and Syria amid rapid regional transformations, according to observers.
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