In a rare event, the brother of Syrian President Maher al-Assad appeared with a group of officers on a tour of military units, according to a video broadcast by activists loyal to him, accompanied by a one-word comment: "The Teacher," the nickname given to him by members of the army and the militias affiliated with Division 4, which he commands.

"Teacher" is a common adjective in Syria to describe senior leaders, and the video circulated on social media does not clarify the location of the inspection tour or even when it took place.

According to sources in Damascus, this appearance of Major General Maher al-Assad is his second after his appearance during joint Russian-Syrian military exercises in October 2022, when he sat next to the Russian officers and was seen "moving uncomfortably".

This is the third appearance after a photo that reunited his family with the family of his brother, President Bashar al-Assad, and his uncle, Rifat al-Assad, last April, after his return from France.

The sources added that Maher al-Assad, who is considered the second most important person in Syria, has been surrounded by a lot of mystery since he graduated from the military college, and that he enjoys great popularity and influence among regime loyalists, as the commander of Division 4, the highest quality military force in Syria. Rumors also spread about him, and the opposition accused him of carrying out many massacres against the opponents of the regime.

During the years of the war in Syria, it was reported that he was seriously injured in an explosion in the summer of 2012, in which a number of senior officials in the security system were killed, among them Assaf Shawkat, the president's son-in-law, Minister of Defense Hassan Turkmani, and Head of the Ministry of National Security, Hisham Ikhtiyar.

The sources saw the appearance of General Maher al-Assad as a "clear message" confirming his presence as a strong and influential force, after reports in the media about the decline of his influence.

Externally, Maher al-Assad's appearance is his first since a French arrest warrant was issued against him, two of his aides, and his brother, President Bashar al-Assad, on November 15, on charges of carrying out chemical weapons attacks on the city of Douma in eastern Ghouta, in -2013.

It is worth noting that Maher al-Assad (56 years old) studied mechanical engineering at the University of Damascus, and after completing his studies, he joined the military college and quickly rose through the military ranks. He assumed the position of commander of the 42nd tank brigade in the 4th division, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in July 2017. In April 2018, he was appointed commander of the 4th tank division in the Syrian army. 

This division is the successor of the Defense Brigades, which was established by his uncle, the brother of the late President Hafez al-Assad, and had the most prominent role in dealing with the events of the Hama massacre in 1982 in which it is said 20,000 civilians found their deaths.

The name of Maher al-Assad is associated among the Syrians with the suppression of the Kurdish rebellion in 2004, and the suppression of the rebellion of the detainees in Sidnaya prison in 2008.

General Maher al-Assad is included in the British, European, Canadian and American sanctions lists. In the first stages, Division 4 was accused of committing crimes against civilians in suppressing the popular demonstrations that broke out in 2011 in Daraa, Homs, Hama, Damascus, Damascus and Deir E-Zor areas.

Division 4, which included in its ranks in 2018 the militia of the Imam Hussein Brigade (one of the largest militias established by the "Quds Force" of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria in 2016), is responsible for controlling the border crossings and shipping lanes, imposing fees on merchants for escort work . Part of the levies is used to finance auxiliary militias.

Since unofficially taking over Division 4, Major General Maher al-Assad has been surrounded by a network of financial connections of prominent businessmen who represent fronts for the companies that dominate Syria's shadow economy, since President Bashar al-Assad took power when he succeeded his father in 2000.