US and Lebanon hosting Syrian general wanted for war crimes: Report

A former Syrian general wanted for crimes against humanity is being bankrolled and hosted by the US and Lebanese authorities, according to a joint NPR and BBC investigation released on Thursday. Bassam al-Hassan, who ran Syria’s chemical weapons programme and was a senior advisor to former President Bashar al-Assad, has been living in Lebanon under US protection since Assad’s government was toppled in late 2024. Hassan is staying in Lebanon with the backing of the FBI and other US authorities, the BBC reported, because he has provided information about the abduction of American journalist Austin Tice. Tice, a former US Marine and freelance journalist, was taken captive in Syria in 2012.