Lieutenant General Ali Abdullah Ayyoub is a Syrian senior military officer who served as the former Deputy Prime Minister of Syria. He is the former Minister of Defense and was personally appointed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on 1 January 2018. Ayyoub has a long experience in commanding manoeuvre formations and is also recognized as a specialist in land warfare.

The Ministry of Defense is a government ministry office of the Syrian Arab Republic, responsible for defense affairs in Syria. Ali Mahmoud Abbas, Minister of Defense holds the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Armed Forces.