Imad Abu Zureiq

Imad Abu Zureiq is a Syrian rebel leader who served a key role in the Yarmouk Army, an anti-Assad group in the Free Syrian Army, until he reconciled with the Bashar al-Assad regime in 2018.

Imad Abu Zureiq
Born	(1979-02-09) 9 February 1979 (age 46)[1] Daraa, Syria[1]
Allegiance	Yarmouk Army Army of the Revolution[2] Eighth Brigade[3]
Battles / wars	Syrian civil war

Personal life

Abu Zureiq is a native of Nasib^[4] and was the target of multiple assassination attempts.^[5]

Activities

He joined the anti-Assad forces in 2011 and became the "security chief" for the Yarmouk Army. He reconciled with the Bashar al-Assad regime following its takeover of Southern Syria in 2018, after a brief escape to Jordan. On his return, he seized control of the Nasib Border Crossing,^[6] which is located between Syria and Jordan.^[7]

Abu Zureiq was sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury^[8] as well as the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, in March 2023 over his ties to captagon smuggling.^[9]

He was in charge of a raid on a farm in Maaraba, Daraa, where two people were arrested,^[10] though the anti-drug enforcement of the regime was viewed skeptically.^[11]

Abu Zureiq and other reconciled rebels, including Ali al-Miqdad and Moayad al-Aqra, worked under Louay al-Ali, the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate in Daraa governorate.^[12] Abu Zureiq facilitated al-Ali's escape after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.^[5]

He was present at the December 2024 victory conference in Damascus, where numerous members of the Syrian opposition met with Ahmed al-Sharaa, the new leader of Syria.^[6]