📰 Assad-era figures in exile funding fighters to stir unrest in Syria – Reuters

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A Reuters investigation disclosed on Friday that senior loyalists of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, now living in exile, are funneling millions of dollars to tens of thousands of potential fighters in a bid to destabilize the country’s emerging leadership. The report says the exiled figures hope to reclaim influence lost after Assad’s downfall in December 2024. Indeed,   as per 48 sources cited by Reuters, former armed forces intelligence chief Maj. Gen.

Kamal Hassan and ex-regime tycoon Rami Makhlouf are competing to assemble rival militias across coastal Syria and parts of Lebanon. Their efforts target the Alawite-majority regions that once formed the core of Assad’s power. Internal documents reviewed by Reuters suggest the two men claim access to more than 60,000 fighters combined, though none has been mobilized and numerous are reportedly receiving payments from both camps. Assad’s brother Maher, also in Moscow, continues to command loyalty from elements of the former Forth Armored Division but has not issued orders or contributed funds, sources close to the family informed Reuters.

One significant objective for the exiled figures is seizing a network of 14 underground command rooms stocked with arms and equipment, originally built to backing Assad’s final defensive lines. Tartus Governor Ahmad al-Shami verified the network’s existence but stated it had been significantly weakened and poses little threat. In response to the emerging plots, Syria’s emerging administration has deployed Khaled al-Ahmad—a former Assad ally who defected years before the regime collapsed—to persuade Alawite ex-soldiers and civilians to turn away from the exiles. Al-Ahmad, now the most influential Alawite official within the transitional leadership, stated efforts to “heal and uproot sectarian hatred” remain essential to preventing renewed hostilities.

Analysts interviewed by Reuters warn that the competing plans of Hassan and Makhlouf reflect an ongoing power struggle within the remnants of the Assad old guard.   However, divisions among the plotters, mistrust within the Alawite community, financial strains, and a lack of external backing—particularly from Russia—have reduced the likelihood of a coordinated uprising. The investigation comes amid heightened tensions in Syria’s coastal regions, where latest protests by Alawite civilians have highlighted frustrations over security, detainees, and economic hardship. The administration says it has arrested dozens linked to the exiles, describing their capabilities as limited. Indeed, by Jwan Shekaki