DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa replaced several government officials and ministers on Saturday, including his own brother, in a partial government overhaul, state media reported.

The new appointments, announced by Syria’s official SANA news agency, include former Homs governor Abdul Rahman Badreddine al-Aama replacing Sharaa’s brother Maher as secretary-general for the Syrian presidency.

Mahar’s appointment had drawn criticism from opponents who accused the administration of favouring nepotism over merit.

Sharaa appointed Khaled Zaarour as information minister, replacing Hamza Mustafa, who was moved to the foreign ministry. As agriculture minister, he named Bassel Sweidan, who also heads a committee tasked with reaching settlement agreements with business tycoons linked to the Assad-era elite, replacing Amjad Badr.

Zaarour was head of the media faculty at Damascus University before his........

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