Al-Assad’s inner circle plots Syrian uprisings from Russian exile: report | News from the war in Syria

Former loyalists of ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad are investing millions of dollars in tens of thousands of would-be fighters in a bid to spark uprisings against the country’s new government, a Reuters investigation has found.

The plot, revealed through interviews with 48 people and financial documents reviewed by the Reuters news agency, comes as Syria marks the first anniversary of al-Assad’s fall and the new government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa gains international legitimacy.

These plans threaten to trigger new sectarian violence at a pivotal moment in the country’s fragile transition.

Two men once closest to Al-Assad – Major General Kamal Hassan, his former head of military intelligence, and his billionaire cousin Rami Makhlouf – have been competing since their exile in Moscow to build militias among Syria’s Alawite minority, the sect long associated with the fallen dynasty, according to Reuters findings.

Along with other factions, they fund over 50,000 fighters in hopes of gaining their loyalty.

Hassan, who ran the regime’s infamous military detention system, calls and sends voice messages tirelessly to commanders from his Moscow villa, according to his relatives interviewed by Reuters.

Reuters reported that he is seething over his loss of influence and laying out grandiose visions for how he would rule Syria’s coast, home to most of the country’s Alawite population and al-Assad’s former power base.

“Be patient, my people, and do not surrender your weapons. It is I who will restore your dignity,” Hassan said in a WhatsApp message reviewed by Reuters.

Makhlouf, who once used his business empire to finance the dictatorship during the ruinous 14-year civil war before falling out with his most powerful relatives and spending years under house arrest, now presents himself in conversations as a messianic figure who will return to power after ushering in an apocalyptic final battle, the investigation found.

One of the rewards for the two men is control of a network of 14 underground command rooms built around the Syrian coast near the end of al-Assad’s rule, as well as weapons caches, Reuters has found.

Photos seen by the news agency show rooms filled with assault rifles, ammunition, grenades, computers and communications equipment.

Hassan claims control of 12,000 fighters and has spent $1.5 million since March, while Makhlouf claims at least 54,000 fighters and has spent at least $6 million on salaries, according to internal documents and financial records reviewed by Reuters.

However, commanders on the ground said the fighters were paid a pittance – between $20 and $30 a month – and took money from both sides.

Despite the plots, the uprising’s chances of success appear low.

The two exiles are at sharp disagreement with each other, Russia has withheld support and many Alawites distrust the two men, Reuters found.

Moscow, which granted al-Assad asylum, has since turned to al-Sharaa’s government to preserve its vital Mediterranean military bases on the Syrian coast in Tartus – the same region the conspirators seek to control.

The new Syrian government is rolling out its own counter-strategy through Khaled al-Ahmad, an Alawite and childhood friend of al-Sharaa who switched sides mid-war.

His task is to persuade former soldiers and civilians that their future lies in the new Syria.

Ahmed al-Shami, governor of the coastal region of Tartus, told Reuters that Syrian authorities were aware of the plots and ready to combat them.

“We are certain that they cannot do anything effective, given their lack of powerful tools on the ground,” he said.

The revelations come as Syria faces multiple challenges a year after Al-Assad’s overthrow, including continued Israeli military incursions, its demand for a buffer for Israel between the countries and sectarian tensions that escalated into deadly violence in March and July.

This week, the country welcomed a UN Security Council delegation for its first-ever visit, testifying to al-Sharaa’s growing international standing as it seeks to stabilize the fractured nation.