Algiers Protects Assad Family and Syrian War Criminals

Members of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s family and senior Syrian security officials have fled to Algeria amid the collapse of his regime, according to investigative journalist Amir Boukhors (alias Amir DZ) on December 12, 2024.Members of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s family and high-ranking Syrian officials are staying at the Hotel Aurassi in Algiers.

The group is believed to have left Assad’s ancestral hometown of Qardaha and travelled to Lebanon before reaching Algeria under strict security measures. Amir Boukhors said the operation had required extensive logistical coordination to ensure their safety, including reinforced protection in Algiers. At the time of writing, two senior military officials close to Bashar al-Assad, who had fled Syria, were currently at the Aurassi Hotel in Algiers.

General Jamil Hassan, Director of Syrian Air Intelligence, is currently in Lebanon and is in contact with Algerian intelligence to submit a request for asylum in Algeria. According to our exclusive and confidential sources, the Algerian military regime with Abdelmadjid Tebboune are considering whether the asylum request will go forward, whether the general will be transferred to Algeria to join his fugitive colleagues already hiding in the country.

Algiers Wants to Offer Asylum to FBI Fugitive and War Criminal
General Jamil Hassan, Director of Syrian Air Intelligence, is currently in Lebanon and is negotiating with Algerian intelligence to submit an asylum request in Algeria. According to our sources, the military regime in Algiers and Abdelmadjid Tebboune are examining the possibility of granting the request for asylum, and whether the general will be transferred to Algeria to join his fugitive colleagues already hiding in the country.

The military regime in Algiers wants to offer asylum to Jamil Hassan, a fugitive wanted by the FBI and under international arrest warrant for war crimes, listed on the sanctions lists of several countries for war crimes and violent repression in Syria.

An arrest warrant was issued for Jamil Hassan by a German court in June 2018, followed by his conviction by a French court in May 2024 and his indictment by the United States in December 2024, where he is now wanted by the FBI. Hassan is on the sanctions lists of numerous countries and international entities, including Australia, Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan, Belgium, the European Union and Monaco, for his involvement in violent repression and crimes against civilians during his tenure as head of the Syrian Air Force intelligence services. Lebanon has also received an official Interpol notice asking its judicial and security authorities to detain him.

His listing on the FBI website describes Jamil Hassan as a senior intelligence official in the Syrian government, wanted for his alleged involvement in committing war crimes by inflicting cruel and inhumane treatment on civilian detainees under his control, including US citizens, during the Syrian civil war. Hassan is charged with conspiracy for alleged crimes committed in the detention facilities at Mezzeh military airport (Mezzeh prison), near Damascus, Syria.
The military regime in Algiers would like to debrief Jamil Hassan in exchange for his protection. The main points consist in getting his help in recovering the Syrian intelligence archives after failing to bribe the new leadership. The leak of some led to reveal the direct implication of Chafik Mesbah and Mohamed Mediene for war crimes in Syria. Jamil Hassan’s full debrief of what happened and what led to Assad’s downfall to better help understand what happened, draw lessons and anticipate in order to avoid its own implosion. His assistance in Algeria and his advice to the military regime in Algiers, notably in the return of experience in the techniques of counter-revolution and defensive terrorism.

Moscow Redeploys Syrian War Criminals to Libya and Algeria
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed that the Russian army had transferred dozens of senior officers from the former Syrian army to a Russian base in North Africa, alluding to Libya, where Moscow has military bases in the eastern region. These transfers took place in two waves: The first wave took place on December 8, when the regime fell and Bashar el-Assad fled. It involved dozens of senior intelligence officers, military commanders and influential state figures, including individuals sanctioned by the United States and the European Union. The second wave took place on December 13, when senior officers were transferred aboard a Russian military cargo plane. A spike in the number of Russian flights from Syria to the Libyan desert base. Flight data analyzed by us show more than one flight a day since mid-December, carried out by Moscow’s Antonov AN-124 transport aircraft, as well as by Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft, from Hmeimim to al-Khadim, a base near Benghazi in eastern Libya.

Moscow’s main strategic goal is to find a new staging platform for its military presence in Africa, and a means of maintaining its military presence in the Mediterranean. For almost a decade, the Hmeimim air base and the Tartus naval facility on the Syrian coast have served both these purposes. Hmeimim was the hub of Russian mercenary operations in Africa, first in the Central African Republic, then in Sudan, Libya, Mali and Burkina Faso. A video analyzed by us shows that at least one of the aircraft that recently arrived in Al-Khadim was headed for Bamako, Mali, where Russia has recently supplanted long-standing French influence.
The Russians have also had a foothold in Al-Khadim for several years. They supply mercenary fighters and weapons to support General Khalifa Haftar, the self-proclaimed ruler of much of eastern Libya. The investigative organization All Eyes on Wagner reported earlier this year that a secure compound had been built near the base for Russian personnel in transit to other parts of Africa. A Russian deputy defense minister, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, has visited Libya several times to consolidate ties with Haftar over the past two years. This relationship could deepen if the Russian navy considers a port under Haftar’s control as an alternative to its Tartous facility in Syria.

Close-up view of the hangars and base at al-Khadim on December 28.

The strategic goal for Algeria is to learn from the fall of the Assad regime and its “mistakes” in order to avoid its own downfall, and to take advantage of Syrian military expertise as part of a possible “defensive terrorism” strategy -which we predict for 2025-, in order to avoid the imminent collapse of the military regime in Algiers.

Lebanon as an Exfiltration Hub for Key Figures in the Assad Regime
Parallel reports from Lebanese sources highlighted a broader pattern of escapes by Syrian officials into Lebanon, facilitated by Hezbollah and bribed members of Lebanon’s General Security Directorate. Syrian officials reportedly entered Lebanon via the Masnaa and Hermel border crossings using vehicles with Lebanese license plates supplied by Hezbollah. The exodus has sparked controversy in Beirut, with concerns about Lebanon harboring Assad loyalists and the potential fallout, including the risk of Israeli military action.
Among the prominent figures believed to have fled is Ali Mamlouk, the former head of Syria’s National Security Bureau and a key architect of the Assad regime’s intelligence apparatus. Known for his role in orchestrating widespread repression during Syria’s civil war, Mamlouk was a close confidant of Bashar al-Assad and played a pivotal role in maintaining the regime’s grip on power through brutal intelligence operations. Mamlouk, who faces international sanctions and arrest warrants for his involvement in war crimes, reportedly coordinated his escape under the cover of Hezbollah-facilitated movements into Lebanon. Here we show you the escape of Ali Mamlouk, head of Syria’s secret service and security advisor to President Assad in a rubber boat.

Lebanese License Plates used by Syrian Intelligence

In Lebanon’s capital, luxury hotels such as the Phoenicia and Mövenpick were reportedly hosting key Assad family members and associates. Among those named were Ghada Adib Mhanna, Assad’s aunt by marriage and mother of influential businessman Rami Makhlouf, and Khaled Qaddour, a businessman tied to Maher al-Assad, the president’s brother.
The ouster of Assad follows a decisive Syrian rebel offensive that ended a 13-year civil war stalemate. The collapse has also forced Iran to evacuate thousands of its troops stationed in Syria. Regional analysts warn that the shifting dynamics could lead to further instability in Lebanon and Syria’s neighboring countries.