US and Lebanon accused of protecting wanted Syrian general

A former Syrian general wanted over alleged crimes against humanity is being protected and financially supported in Lebanon under an arrangement involving US and Lebanese authorities, a BBC News investigation conducted with NPR has found . Bassam al-Hassan, a former senior adviser to Bashar al-Assad who oversaw Syria’s chemical weapons programme, is accused of involvement in serious abuses during the former Syrian regime. After Assad’s government collapsed in December 2024, Hassan reportedly fled to Iran before later being moved to Lebanon. The investigation found that Hassan was offered res

A former Syrian general wanted over alleged crimes against humanity is being protected and financially supported in Lebanon under an arrangement involving US and Lebanese authorities, a BBC News investigation conducted with NPR has found. Bassam al-Hassan, a former senior adviser to Bashar al-Assad who oversaw Syria’s chemical weapons programme, is accused of involvement in serious abuses during the former Syrian regime. After Assad’s government collapsed in December 2024, Hassan reportedly fled to Iran before later being moved to Lebanon. The investigation found that Hassan was offered residency, protection and assistance with his living expenses in exchange for information about American journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in Syria in 2012. Hassan told US investigators that Tice had been executed on Assad’s orders and provided a possible location for his remains. A search of the site, however, reportedly found nothing, raising questions about the reliability of parts of his account. Sources also said the search may have ended before it was fully completed because of security concerns. Syria’s new government reportedly wants Hassan returned to face trial. Officials involved in the new administration said US authorities want him to remain in Lebanon, leaving Damascus with limited options to bring him back. The FBI declined to comment specifically on the reported arrangement, maintaining that its priority is establishing the facts surrounding Tice’s disappearance and securing his return. Hassan is not the only former Syrian official linked to the Tice case who has reportedly found refuge abroad. Several others are believed to be living in Lebanon or the United Arab Emirates. The case highlights a difficult tension between intelligence gathering and accountability, as efforts to uncover what happened to Tice appear to have placed cooperation with former Syrian regime figures alongside demands for justice over alleged abuses committed under Assad.