The Syrian businessmen, Samir Hassan (center), from left to right: Issam Anbouba, Mohammad Hamcho, Houssam Qaterji, Samer Foz, and Tarif Akhrass. (Collage by Celine Bejjani/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Dec. 7, 2024. At the Masnaa border, a Sedan merged with the endless stream of vehicles fleeing Syria. The passenger, Samir Hassan, a businessman close to the Assad regime — a well-known frontman involved in the regime’s opaque financial networks — was driving to Beirut. On that day, nothing set him apart from the thousands of people desperate to leave the country.The Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) forces were, at that time, only a few 100 kilometers away from Damascus; a few hours later, they entered the capital. Hassan, meanwhile, was heading straight for his secondary residence in Downtown Beirut, in an upscale Beirut district long favored by part of the Syrian elite known as the “Carré d’or” (Golden Square). In the news Damascus raises stakes: Beirut should monitor pro-Assad Syrians in Lebanon “Businessmen, particularly those who...
Dec. 7, 2024. At the Masnaa border, a Sedan merged with the endless stream of vehicles fleeing Syria. The passenger, Samir Hassan, a businessman close to the Assad regime — a well-known frontman involved in the regime’s opaque financial networks — was driving to Beirut. On that day, nothing set him apart from the thousands of people desperate to leave the country.The Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) forces were, at that time, only a few 100 kilometers away from Damascus; a few hours later, they entered the capital. Hassan, meanwhile, was heading straight for his secondary residence in Downtown Beirut, in an upscale Beirut district long favored by part of the Syrian elite known as the “Carré d’or” (Golden Square). In the news Damascus raises stakes: Beirut should monitor pro-Assad Syrians in Lebanon “Businessmen,...