Salim Idris

Salim Idris (Arabic: سليم إدريس, romanized: Salīm Idrīs; born 1958) is a Syrian military officer and former rebel leader during the Syrian Civil War. He served as the minister of defense of the Syrian Interim Government and chief of staff of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) of the Syrian National Army, a Syrian rebel faction.

He has a PhD in electrical engineering and speaks five languages, including English. An East German-trained electronics professor, he was a brigadier general in the Syrian Army when he defected in July 2012. During the civil war against the Assad regime, Idris was widely considered to represent the moderate elements of the Syrian opposition, as armed opposition leaders under his leadership subscribed to the pro-democracy Proclamation of Principles.