Leaked calls reveal plot by al-Assad regime officers to destabilise Syria

An Al Jazeera Arabic probe obtains recordings of Suheil al-Hassan discussing Israeli support, regrouping efforts.

An Al Jazeera investigative programme has obtained hours of leaked audio recordings of salient subject officers successful the authorities of the ousted leader, Bashar al-Assad, discussing plans and efforts to destabilise Syria, and suggesting coordination with Israel.

The revelations, acceptable to beryllium broadcast connected the programme Al-Mutahari, oregon The Investigator, connected Wednesday evening, are based connected much than 74 hours of leaked audio recordings and hundreds of pages of documents obtained successful the investigation.

The leaks implicate al-Assad’s high-ranking officers, specifically Suheil al-Hassan, the brigadier-general who commanded the notorious Quwwat al-Nimr (Tiger Forces), an elite portion successful the erstwhile regime’s army.

‘Israel volition basal with you’

The probe uncovers attempts by these officers to regroup, stitchery funding, and unafraid weapons to undermine stableness successful the state pursuing the ousting of al-Assad.

In 1 of the astir important recordings, a root — identified successful the leaks arsenic a hacker oregon intermediary — is heard assuring al-Hassan of Israeli backing.

“The State of Israel, with each its capabilities, volition basal with you,” the root tells al-Hassan.

“There is simply a level higher than me, Mr Rami is the 1 who coordinates,” al-Hassan is heard saying. “And I person unsafe quality information.”

It has been a twelvemonth since a lightning offensive by allied rebel groups, led by existent President Ahmed al-Sharaa, ended the Assad dynasty’s 54-year reign, forcing Bashar al-Assad into Russian exile.

Yet, arsenic the authorities collapsed, Israel seized connected the instability by importantly escalating its subject run successful Syria, targeting overmuch of its neighbour’s subject infrastructure, including main airports, aerial defence systems, combatant planes, and different strategical facilities, arsenic good arsenic occupying much of Syria’s Golan Heights, and bombing the capital, Damascus, successful July.

Over the past year, Israel has launched much than 600 air, drone oregon artillery attacks crossed Syria, averaging astir 2 a day, according to a tally by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).

‘The feeling of the coast’

The recordings besides diagnostic Ghiath Dalla, a erstwhile brigadier-general successful al-Assad’s forces, who appears to validate al-Hassan’s presumption arsenic a typical of the regime’s accepted strongholds.

“My Master, Suheil the Tiger, spoke the feeling of the full upland and the full coast,” Dalla is heard saying, referring to the coastal and mountainous regions that were agelong considered the heartland of enactment for the al-Assad family.

The leaked conversations besides seizure al-Hassan expressing disdain for existent developments, referred to arsenic “the flood”.

“Our prayers for you each are that this foolishness, this evil, and this blackness called the flood ends,” al-Hassan says successful the recording.

Investigation to air

The afloat grade of the crippled volition beryllium elaborate successful the upcoming occurrence of The Investigator, hosted by Jamal el-Maliki.

Parts of the leaks are airing connected Al Jazeera’s platforms connected Wednesday, with the implicit probe scheduled for merchandise successful mid-January.