Luna Shebel, former voice of the Syrian regime, reportedly killed 'on orders' of Bashar al-Assad

More than a year after her disappearance, initially presented as a car accident, the mystery surrounding the death of Luna Shebel, a former figure in the Syrian regime's propaganda machine, appears to be partially resolved. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claims the journalist was assassinated 'on the orders' of Bashar al-Assad, based on information provided by Hezbollah, accusing her of collaborating with Israel.

According to Rami Abdelrahman, director of SOHR, Shebel allegedly passed on information to Tel Aviv about the activities of the pro-Iranian 'Axis of Resistance' forces via the 'Israeli branch of the Russian forces operating in Syria.' Known for her ties to Moscow, she was reportedly involved in intelligence exchanges between Russian and Israeli services.

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This assassination was allegedly motivated by Shebel revealing sensitive information about a meeting of 'Axis of Resistance' officials at the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which was struck by the Israeli military on April 1, 2024. That raid marked the beginning of a series of attacks and counterattacks between Tel Aviv and Tehran, a year before the June 2025 escalation during the '12-Day War.'

Abdelrahman said the elimination was carried out by Syrian Air Force intelligence under the supervision of General Qahtan Qahtan, who has been missing since the regime’s fall on Dec. 8, 2024. The interception of a signal between the Syrian presidential palace and Israel, as well as the arrest two weeks earlier of one of Shebel's brothers, a former Syrian army officer, for 'contacts with foreign powers,' reportedly triggered the operation.

Among other theories cited, the NGO mentions the 'obvious jealousy' of Asma al-Assad, the ex-president’s wife, over Shebel’s growing influence within the regime and rumors of an affair between the journalist and Bashar al-Assad, which may have also contributed to the motive for her elimination.