A BBC and NPR investigation has found that US and Lebanese authorities allegedly protect and financially support Sam al-Hassan, the former Syrian general wanted for crimes against humanity who oversaw Assad's chemical weapons program.

A BBC and NPR investigation has found that US and Lebanese authorities allegedly protect and financially support Sam al-Hassan, the former Syrian general wanted for crimes against humanity who oversaw Assad's chemical weapons program.

According to reports, Hassan receives money and protection in Lebanon in exchange for intelligence on American journalist Austin Tice, missing since 2012, and other Syrian military secrets.

According to reports, the arrangement, which began in the spring of 2025, has made little progress in locating a pilot.

Syria's new government wants to extradite Hassan to trial, but officials say the US wants him to stay in Lebanon.

Source: BBC