A former Syrian general wanted for crimes against humanity and linked to Syria’s chemical weapons program is staying in Lebanon with financial support and protection from Lebanese and US authorities, according to a BBC investigation.
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The man is Bassam al-Hassan, once a senior adviser to President Bashar al-Assad, who is believed to have moved to Lebanon after the regime fell in 2024.
A joint investigation by the BBC and US network NPR has revealed that Hassan has been allowed to remain in Lebanon under an agreement involving the FBI and other US and Lebanese security agencies. The main reason for the arrangement appears to be his willingness to share information about the fate of US journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012, as well as other intelligence.
Last month, the BBC reported that Tice’s abduction had been a pre-planned operation and that Hassan had played a role in the chain of command.
Officials from two separate institutions in Syria’s new government confirmed to the BBC that they are seeking Hassan’s extradition to Syria to stand trial. According to them, Washington insists that he remain in Lebanon, while Damascus has very little power to influence the decision.
The BBC approached the FBI, the CIA and Lebanon’s General Directorate of General Security for comment. Only the FBI responded, but it declined to discuss the specific findings, referring instead to an earlier statement emphasizing that its priority is determining Tice’s fate and securing his return.
Documents reviewed by the BBC show that during a meeting between Hassan, representatives of the FBI and CIA, and Lebanese officials, he was promised “shelter,” “protection” and help with living expenses in exchange for information, mainly concerning the Tice case.
Sources close to the agreement claimed that Hassan receives funds from US authorities through an intermediary, making the transactions more difficult to trace. Hassan is also on the US government’s sanctions list.
Hassan told US investigators that Austin Tice had been executed on the orders of former President Bashar al-Assad. However, several people involved in the investigation have expressed doubts about the accuracy of these claims.
He also identified a possible location where Tice’s remains might have been found. But searches in the area produced no results, raising questions about the credibility of some of his information.
Two sources claimed that US authorities halted the excavation before the search was completed, possibly for security reasons.
Phil Elwood, a spokesman for Austin Tice’s family, described the situation as troubling and said that if the reports are true, it is unacceptable for US taxpayers’ money to be used to support a person linked to chemical weapons used against Syrian civilians.
The BBC investigation suggests that Hassan is not the only former Syrian regime official implicated in the Tice case to have received payments or assistance to live abroad.
A former regime member claimed to have received several payments from the FBI in exchange for cooperation in the Tice case. Another former official involved in the matter said he lives in Lebanon under the “patronage” of US authorities.
Meanwhile, several other people linked to the kidnapping of the American journalist are believed to be in Lebanon or the United Arab Emirates.
Austin Tice, a former US Marine and freelance journalist, was kidnapped in Damascus in August 2012. His fate and whereabouts remain unknown.
