Lebanon has received an Interpol warrant issued by the United States for the arrest of Jamil Hassan, the former chief of Syria’s Air Force Intelligence Directorate. Judicial sources told Al Arabiya/Al Hadath that the warrant was handed over to Lebanon’s Public Prosecutor, Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar, on Thursday. The judge promptly disseminated it to all relevant security agencies.

Born in Homs in 1952, Jamil Hassan rose through the ranks of the Syrian military after graduating from the Military Academy in 1976 as an Air Force lieutenant. His career became closely associated with one of the darkest chapters in Syria’s history: the brutal suppression of the 1982 Hama uprising.

As a member of the forces dispatched by then-President Hafez al-Assad to quell dissent in the rebellious province, Hassan played a role in a campaign that left tens of thousands dead. Entire neighborhoods were flattened as the Syrian regime sought to crush opposition through sheer violence. Estimates of the death toll range from 15,000 to 50,000.

Hafez al-Assad rewarded officers like Hassan who carried out his orders in Hama, granting them significant authority within the security apparatus. Hassan’s rise continued within the Air Force Intelligence Directorate, which he eventually led in 2009, succeeding Major General Abdul Fattah Qudsaya.

Hassan’s notoriety grew with the onset of the Syrian uprising in 2011. As protests erupted against Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Hassan’s Air Force Intelligence Directorate played a key role in suppressing dissent. Units under his command were deployed to Damascus and other cities, where they targeted activists and opposition figures.

Hassan became infamous for advocating a return to the brutal tactics employed by Hafez al-Assad during the Hama massacre. His role in the regime’s violent response to the uprising further solidified his reputation as one of the most ruthless figures in the Assad government.

Hassan and many other officers in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Directorate have been sanctioned internationally for their involvement in acts of violence, torture, and human rights abuses against Syrians. These sanctions reflect the global condemnation of the Assad regime’s actions during the country’s ongoing conflict.