FLASH
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The New York Times revealed the contents of wiretaps of former military personnel of the ousted regime in December last year. The goal: to undermine Damascus' authority...
More than a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the former Syrian dictator's generals and spies are plotting to retake Damascus, or at least part of the country, ravaged by more than a decade of civil war.
Reporting on the plans of officials of the ousted regime on December 8, 2024, The New York Times, which obtained access to transcripts of phone calls, messages and group chats shared by Syrian activists, has revealed the plans.
The American newspaper's sources claim to have hacked the phones of Assad's top commanders before the dictatorship collapsed and monitored them afterwards. The activists, who spoke on condition of anonymity, specify that they chose to share only a portion of the material in their possession so as not to jeopardize their ability to continue conducting phone interceptions.
The figures at the center of the conspiracy against the new Damascus authorities, led by former al-Qaeda member Ahmed al-Sharaa, are Suhail Hassan, a former commander of Assad's special forces (nicknamed "The Tiger" for his ferocity in battle), and Kamal Hassan, a former ophthalmologist military intelligence chief who found refuge in Russia.
Both generals also fled to Moscow a year ago, but were then able to travel abroad despite international sanctions over war crimes charges they face. Over the past year, Suhail Hassan is said to have met with associates in Lebanon, Iraq and even Syria, while Kamal Hassan's presence has been reported in the Land of the Cedars.
Kamal Hassan told the New York Times that he is not involved in plans to foment an armed uprising, but two former "Butcher of Damascus" officials who are working with the former generals have stated that they are "well positioned" to recruit men among the Alawites, the Shiite minority to which the Assad family belongs.
It is unclear, the American newspaper emphasizes, how willing they would be to answer the call, given the deep resentment that many Alawites have towards the regime due to the civil war.
The first intercepts conducted by activists date back to April 2025, when the perpetrators of the cyberattacks claimed to have noticed an "increase in activity from several targets."
This came just weeks after sectarian violence that had killed over 1,600 people, mostly Alawites, caused by attacks launched by Assad's former security forces against the new government's army.
The massacre would have immediately become a rallying cry for members of the toppled regime.
According to the intercepts, Suhail Hassan is suspected of sending communications containing the number of fighters and weapons in various villages along the Syrian coast. The messages were allegedly sent to a person described as "the commander-in-chief of our armed forces and the army."
Behind this mysterious figure is Rami Makhlouf, a Syrian tycoon and cousin of Assad, based in Russia. He describes himself as a messianic figure ready to lead the Syrian Alawites and boasts that he is able to predict events thanks to a mystical text he owns. Other intercepts reveal that "The Tiger" recruited a former general of the Fourth Division, who distributed $300,000 in monthly payments to potential fighters and commanders.
Kamal Hassan, the former head of military intelligence, is also said to have made payments to supporters and potential recruits, but according to two of his associates, he is more focused on building a network of influence than on a full-fledged uprising. He is using his Beirut-based Foundation for the Development of Western Syria to pressure Washington, relying on the services of a US lobbying firm and Joseph E. Schmitz (a former Trump adviser).
All of this is aimed at creating "international protection" for the Syrian Alawite region. It is precisely these political influence activities in the United States that are of concern to diplomats in Damascus, more than attempts to organize an uprising in the Middle Eastern country.
The New York Times' revelations add to those of the Washington Post, which in recent days published an investigation into clandestine supplies from Israel to Druze militias allied with Tel Aviv.
A flow of weapons, intelligence, and money that is contributing to undermining the efforts for national reunification promoted by the al-Sharaa government confirms that, once again, various actors in Syria are engaged in a dangerous and unpredictable game of chess. /Adapted from Pamphlet /
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