The key facts
- Yazan Abbas, a former aide to Suhayl al-Hasan, was killed in a security forces ambush in Tartus province
- Syria's Interior Ministry describes the four-member cell as 'linked to remnants of the former regime'
- One member of the cell was wounded, weapons and ammunition were seized, and the rest are being sought
What happened
On Wednesday in western Syria, in Tartus province, Yazan Abbas was killed — a former aide to Suhayl al-Hasan, one of the prominent commanders of the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad. Syria's Interior Ministry announced this: according to its data, Abbas led an armed cell that opened fire on internal security forces patrols after falling into an ambush they had set up. One member of the cell was wounded in the shootout; security forces seized weapons and ammunition.
The authorities' version and the continuation of the operation
The Interior Ministry said that the Counter-Terrorism Department had previously identified a four-member cell, which security forces described as 'linked to remnants of the former regime' and accused of preparing 'terrorist operations and armed robberies targeting the property of civilians.' The state agency SANA had already reported on Tuesday evening that in the eastern countryside of Tartus 'the leader of the criminal cell, Yazan Abbas, was neutralized,' one of its members was wounded, and part of the weapons was seized. According to the agency, operations to search for and detain the remaining members of the group were ongoing.
Who is al-Hasan
Suhayl al-Hasan, known as 'The Tiger,' commanded the 'Tiger Forces' under the ousted regime and is on the United Kingdom's Syria sanctions list. Context of the events: on December 8, 2024, revolutionary forces led by Ahmad al-Sharaa toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who had ruled the country since 2000 after his father Hafez al-Assad, who had been in power since 1971.
