Al‑Hafez rose through the ranks of the Syrian Army and became closely associated with the Arab Socialist Baʿath Party, a nationalist and socialist movement that sought to transform Syria through Arab unity and societal reform. Following a successful Baʿathist military coup on 8 March 1963, which ended a period of unstable coalition governments and military interventionism, he quickly became one of the key figures in the new regime.

In March 1963 al‑Hafez was first appointed Minister of Interior, and later that year he assumed even greater authority. He became Prime Minister and head of state under the National Council for the Revolutionary Command, a body dominated by Baʿathists and military officers. His leadership was part of Syria’s initial experiment with Baʿath Party governance, which emphasized socialist economic policies, nationalization efforts, and alignment with other Arab nationalist movements.

However, his tenure was fraught with deep factionalism within the Baʿath Party. Rivalries between civilian ideologues and military officers grew more intense over ideological direction and control of the state. These tensions culminated in an internal Baʿathist coup on 23 February 1966, led by more radical military elements within the party, including figures like Salah Jadid and Hafez al‑Assad. Al‑Hafez was overthrown in this internal struggle, arrested during fierce fighting at his Damascus residence, and his government collapsed.

After his ouster, al‑Hafez spent time in prison, and upon his release he went into exile — first to Lebanon and later to Iraq, where he remained under the protection of the Iraqi Baʿath regime for decades. In 1971, Syria’s authorities in absentia sentenced him to death, a sentence that was never carried out.

Al‑Hafez’s political career was a reflection of the broader turbulence in Syria during the 1960s: rapid changes in leadership, ideological clashes between socialist and military factions, and the gradual consolidation of power by military officers in the Baʿath Party. His removal from power helped clear the way for Hafez al‑Assad, another Baʿathist military officer, who would later dominate Syrian politics as president for nearly three decades.

In November 2003, decades after his exile began, al‑Hafez was permitted to return to Syria under the presidency of Bashar al‑Assad, son of Hafez al‑Assad. He lived his remaining years in his native Aleppo, passing away on 17 December 2009 at the age of 88.

Amin al‑Hafez’s time as Prime Minister and head of the Syrian state was brief but significant. It marked both the promise and perils of early Baʿathist rule in Syria — a time when personalities, ideology, and military power intersected to shape the country’s future trajectory.