Fares Shehabi

Shehabi belongs to a family whose origins trace back to the city of al-Bab, east of Aleppo. The family name has been associated with Hikmat al-Shihabi, who served as head of Military Intelligence from 1971 to 1974, and later as Chief of the General Staff.^[2] He holds U.S. citizenship, according to a senior official in the European Union.^[3] He obtained a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering in 1996 from Ohio State University.^[4]

In 1990, he founded Alpha Pharmaceuticals in al-Mansoura, west of Aleppo, on an area of 63,000 square meters to produce various types of medicines, and it became one of the most important pharmaceutical companies in the country. Its management was headed by his father, Ahmad Shehabi.^[2] Al-Shihabi stood as an independent candidate in the 2016 elections for the People's Assembly, representing Aleppo Governorate.^[5] He lost his campaign for re-election in the 2020 elections.^[6]