Leaked audio shows Assad commanders plotting unrest with alleged Israeli link

Summary

Al Jazeera's investigative programme, The Investigator (Al-Mutahari), says it obtained more than 74 hours of leaked audio and hundreds of pages of documents that appear to show senior figures from Bashar al-Assad’s former military plotting to undermine stability in post-Assad Syria. The material implicates brigadier-general Suheil al‑Hassan, commander of the Tiger Forces, and includes remarks by former brigadier-general Ghiath Dalla; recordings discuss regrouping loyalist networks, raising funds and securing weapons. In one recording an intermediary reportedly tells al‑Hassan that Israel would back him and points to coordination through a figure referred to as 'Mr Rami'.

The disclosures arrive a year after a rebel offensive toppled the Assad dynasty and sent Bashar al‑Assad into Russian exile, a period in which Israel has sharply intensified strikes inside Syria — more than 600 air, drone or artillery attacks over the past year, according to ACLED — targeting military infrastructure and seizing more ground in the Golan Heights. Al Jazeera said parts of the leaks will air on Wednesday and the full investigation, hosted by Jamal el‑Maliki, is due in mid-January, as reported by Al Jazeera