Al Jazeera has obtained over 74 hours of leaked audio and hundreds of pages of documents that allegedly show senior officers from the ousted Bashar al‑Assad regime discussing efforts to destabilise Syria and seeking outside backing. The recordings implicate Suheil al‑Hassan, former commander of the Tiger Forces, and include a source claiming Israeli support. The leaks come a year after rebel forces toppled the Assad dynasty amid an intensified Israeli military campaign. Portions will be published Wednesday, with the full investigation airing in mid‑January.
Al Jazeera Leaks: Recordings Allegedly Show Assad Officers plotting to Destabilise Syria, Claim Israeli Backing
An Israeli army soldier holds a portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by a vehicle near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights on December 14, 2025 [Jalaa Marey/AFP]
An Al Jazeera investigation has obtained more than 74 hours of leaked audio and hundreds of pages of supporting documents that appear to show senior military officers from the deposed Bashar al-Assad regime discussing plans to regroup, secure weapons and funding, and undermine stability in Syria.
What the Leaks Allegedly Reveal
The material — set to be broadcast on Al Jazeera’s investigative programme Al-Mutahari (The Investigator) — includes recordings that implicate Brigadier-General Suheil al‑Hassan, the former commander of the elite Quwwat al‑Nimr (Tiger Forces). The files include exchanges in which a source identified in the leaks as a hacker or intermediary tells al‑Hassan:
“The State of Israel, with all its capabilities, will stand with you.”
In the same recording, al‑Hassan is heard replying: “There is a level higher than me, Mr Rami is the one who coordinates. And I have dangerous intelligence information.” Al Jazeera says it will publish portions of the material on its platforms ahead of the full programme.
Other Voices and Context
The leaks also include remarks from Ghiath Dalla, a former brigadier‑general in Assad’s forces, who appears to endorse al‑Hassan as a representative of the regime’s traditional coastal and mountain strongholds. In one excerpt Dalla says:
“My Master, Suheil the Tiger, spoke the feeling of the whole mountain and the whole coast.”
According to the investigation, the officers discussed ways to rebuild command networks, secure funding and acquire weapons to carry out destabilising operations after the regime’s collapse. The recordings repeatedly refer to the recent political upheaval as “the flood”; in one excerpt al‑Hassan is heard wishing for an end to what he described as “this foolishness, this evil, and this blackness called the flood.”
Broader Security Environment
The leaks arrive a year after a lightning offensive by allied rebel groups, led by President Ahmed al‑Sharaa, ended the Assad family's 54‑year rule and pushed Bashar al‑Assad into exile in Russia. The period since the regime’s fall has also seen an intensification of cross‑border military activity: Al Jazeera’s report cites a tally from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) that records more than 600 Israeli air, drone or artillery strikes across Syria in the past year — an average approaching two strikes per day.
Upcoming Broadcast
Al Jazeera says it will air parts of the leaked material immediately on its platforms, with the full episode of The Investigator, presented by Jamal el‑Maliki, scheduled for mid‑January. The programme promises to detail the scope of the alleged plot and the evidence behind the newsroom’s reporting.
Note on Reporting: The descriptions above reflect claims contained in leaked recordings and documents obtained by Al Jazeera. The allegations have not been independently verified in this article; interested readers should consult the full investigation for primary audio and documentation.
