Dhu al-Himma Shalish (Arabic: ذو الهمة شاليش; 1951 – May 14, 2022) was the first cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and head of presidential security.

[6] The Shalishs through Dhu al-Himma maintain a significant level of influence in the Syrian government and economy and are comparatively as influential as the Makhloufs, the family of Hafez al-Assad’s wife.

He subsequently made a fortune on construction and contracting deals in Syria involving large-scale projects financed by other Arab states.

[1][9][10] According to the United States Treasury Department, SES helped the former Iraqi government access weapons systems by issuing false end-user certificates to foreign suppliers that listed Syria as the final country of destination.

On 24 June 2011, the European Union sanctioned him along with a number of other Syrian government officials for their role in the violent repression of protesters during the early stages of the civil war.