Suhayl al-Hasan

Suhayl al-Hasan
سُهَيْلُ الْحَسَنِ
Other name(s)Al-Nimr ('the Tiger')
Born (1970-06-10) 10 June 1970 (age 54)[1]
Beit Ana, Jableh, Latakia, Syria[2]
Allegiance Syria
Service / branch Syrian Arab Army
Years of service1991–present
Rank Major General
CommandsSpecial Forces Command
25th Special Mission Forces Division
Battles / wars
AwardsOrder of Civil Merit
Order of Bravery
Order of Friendship (Russia)[3]

Major General Suhayl al-Hasan (Arabic: سُهَيْلُ الْحَسَنِ, romanized: Suhayl al-Ḥasan; born 10 June 1970) is a Syrian military officer,[4][5][6] currently serving as the commander of the Syrian Army's Special Forces. He graduated from the Syrian Arab Air Force academy in 1991,[citation needed] and served in many units of the Syrian Arab Air Forces and Air Defence Command, completing several training courses. After serving in the Syrian Arab Air Force and Syrian Arab Air Defence units, he joined the Air Force Intelligence service, where he was responsible for the training of the elements of the Special Operations Section. During the Syrian Civil War, al-Hasan has served and commanded his troops during several major engagements, including Operation Canopus Star and the battle for the Shaer gas field. He is part of the new generation of field Syrian army commanders who emerged during the civil war.[7] French newspaper Le Monde has claimed he could be a rival to Assad as leader of Syria.[8]

Al-Hasan was described by analysts as preferring Russia (as opposed to Iran) to serve as the Syrian Government's main ally during the Syrian civil war and subsequent post-war reconstruction. His position is contrasted by Maher al-Assad, brother of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and head of Syria's Republican Guard and 4th Armoured Division, who is reported as preferring Iran.[9][10][11]

  1. ^ "Who is Colonel Suheil Al-Hassan of the Tiger Forces?". al-Masdar News. 26 February 2015. Archived from the original on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  2. ^ Fadel, Leith (26 February 2015). "Who is Colonel Suheil Al-Hassan of the Tiger Forces?". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Russia awarded Syrian Colonel Suheil al Hassan with medal". liveuamap. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Syrian Arab Army". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Maher Al-Assad, Suheil Al-Hassan official accept military promotions". 31 December 2016. Archived from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Syrian Arab Army". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  7. ^ "Battered but hardened, Syria army adapts to guerrilla war". Yahoo News. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Le_Monde was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Russia, Iran in Syria: Partners clashing - Region - World - Ahram Online". english.ahram.org.eg. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Columnist In Syrian Daily Close To Assad Regime: As Russia-Iran Disagreements In Syria Increase, Each One Pressures Regime To Accept Its Initiative For The Region". MEMRI. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  11. ^ Bakeer, Ali. "US 'maximum pressure' on Iran is empowering Russia in Syria". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 1 September 2019.