Recordings and documents obtained by Al Jazeera indicate efforts led by senior figures from the ousted regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to reorganize their ranks and initiate armed activity in Syria’s coastal region, in what is described as an attempt to reshape the military situation against the current Syrian government.
According to the materials, which are set to be broadcast as part of Al Jazeera’s investigative program "Al-Mutahari," former Assad regime special forces commander Suheil al-Hassan is a central figure in these efforts. The recordings identify businessman Rami Makhlouf, Bashar al-Assad’s cousin, as the primary backer of al-Hassan’s activities.
Documents reviewed by Al Jazeera point to a key role played by both al-Hassan and former Brigadier General Ghiyath Dalla. The discussions reportedly included planning military operations and reactivating cells loyal to the former regime.
Al Jazeera reports that the recordings and documents were leaked by an individual who gained access to the mobile phones of a group of Assad-era officers after posing as an officer from Israel’s Mossad. This enabled access to sensitive conversations and audio recordings related to military plans and movements.
The network says it obtained more than 74 hours of recordings along with over 600 documents, detailing attempts by remnants of the former regime to reorganize and coordinate roles among prominent military and security figures who previously held senior positions.
The recordings reportedly include explicit praise by al-Hassan for Israeli military operations in Gaza, as well as his attempts to persuade the person he believed to be an Israeli officer to support his actions inside Syria. According to Al Jazeera, this reflects efforts to open external channels in search of backing or cover for possible military moves.
The documents indicate that the plans went beyond theoretical discussions, including arrangements for operations aimed at destabilizing the situation, with a particular focus on the coastal region, traditionally a stronghold for figures linked to the former regime.
Separately, an investigative report published last week by The New York Times found that former Assad-era generals are operating from exile in Russia and Lebanon to plan an armed rebellion. The newspaper reported that the fall of the Assad regime did not eliminate the influence of parts of its military and security elite, but instead pushed some to reorganize abroad in an effort to undermine Syria’s new government.