A former senior Syrian military officer accused of involvement in Syria’s chemical weapons programme and wanted over alleged crimes against humanity is reportedly being sheltered in Lebanon under an arrangement involving US and Lebanese authorities, according to a BBC investigation conducted with NPR.
Bassam al-Hassan, a former Syrian general and senior adviser to ousted President Bashar al-Assad, is alleged to have been granted protection, residency and financial assistance in Lebanon in exchange for information concerning the disappearance of American journalist Austin Tice.
The BBC investigation says Hassan, who is sanctioned by the United States, has remained in Lebanon following the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024.
According to sources familiar with the arrangement, an agreement was reached in 2025 involving US authorities, Lebanese security officials and Hassan. Under the reported arrangement, Hassan was offered residency, protection and assistance with his living expenses in return for intelligence, principally concerning Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to comment directly on the BBC’s findings. Instead, it referred the broadcaster to an earlier statement saying that its priority remains establishing the facts surrounding Tice’s disappearance and securing his return.
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Tice disappearance at centre of investigation
Austin Tice, a former US Marine and freelance journalist, disappeared while reporting in Syria in August 2012.
The BBC says its years-long investigation has uncovered evidence indicating that Tice’s abduction was a planned operation involving members of the former Syrian regime.
Hassan is alleged to have been part of the chain of command connected to the operation.
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The former Syrian official has told US investigators that Tice was executed on the orders of Bashar al-Assad. However, people familiar with the investigation have questioned elements of Hassan’s account.
Hassan reportedly provided investigators with a possible location for Tice’s remains. A search was subsequently conducted at the site, but no remains were found, according to several sources familiar with the operation.
Two sources who said they had detailed knowledge of the search told the BBC that US authorities stopped digging before the operation was completed, reportedly because of security concerns.
The circumstances surrounding Tice’s disappearance and his current whereabouts remain unresolved.
US intelligence interest extends beyond Tice
According to the BBC investigation, Hassan’s value to US authorities may extend beyond information concerning the missing journalist.
Sources familiar with the negotiations reportedly said Hassan possesses knowledge about Syria’s chemical weapons programme as well as the country’s military relationship with Iran.
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Following the collapse of the Assad regime, Hassan is believed to have initially fled to Iran.
A Syrian businessman with connections to both the former Syrian government and Lebanese authorities told the BBC that negotiations subsequently took place involving the United States, Lebanon and Iran to move Hassan to Lebanon.
The businessman claimed that Hassan was considered valuable because of what he allegedly knew about Tice, Syria’s chemical weapons capabilities and its military links with Iran.
Questions over payments and protection
The BBC and NPR investigation also raises questions about financial arrangements allegedly provided to former Syrian regime officials connected to the Tice case.
One former regime member reportedly told the BBC that he had received payments from the FBI on multiple occasions in return for cooperation concerning Tice’s disappearance.
The individual claimed that withholding information could allow former regime members to continue receiving payments for longer.
Another former regime figure connected to the Tice investigation reportedly said he was living in Lebanon under the “patronage” of US authorities and therefore could not speak publicly about the case.
A former senior Lebanese intelligence official confirmed to the BBC that Lebanese intelligence has arrangements with US agencies in certain overlapping investigations and that payments can take place in such circumstances. However, the official said he had no knowledge of payments connected specifically to the Tice case.
Syria’s new government reportedly wants Hassan returned
The reported arrangement has also created tensions with Syria’s new authorities.
Officials from two branches of Syria’s post-Assad government told the BBC that they want Hassan returned to Syria to face trial.
However, the officials reportedly believe US authorities want Hassan to remain in Lebanon because of his cooperation in the Tice investigation.
The BBC says the Syrian officials believe there is little Damascus can do to secure his return while the arrangement remains in place.
Hassan’s reported protection is particularly controversial because of allegations surrounding his previous role in the Assad government.
The former general is alleged to have overseen Syria’s chemical weapons programme and has been wanted in connection with allegations of serious crimes committed during the country’s civil war.
Other former Syrian officials reportedly abroad
Hassan is not the only former Syrian regime figure linked to the Tice investigation who is believed to have found refuge outside Syria.
The BBC reports that Mohammad Makhlouf, who reportedly worked under Hassan and was connected to Tice’s detention, is believed to be living in Lebanon.
Sakr Rustom, Hassan’s nephew, is also alleged to have been involved in Tice’s abduction and is reportedly moving between Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.
When approached by the BBC, Rustom reportedly declined to discuss the case, saying he preferred to focus on the future.
Ghassan Nassour, a former general in Syria’s Republican Guard, has also been identified by former members of the National Defence Forces as a person who allegedly presided over the facility where Tice was detained. He is reportedly living in the UAE with his family.
Tice family condemns reported arrangement
The revelations have drawn a strong reaction from Austin Tice’s family.
Phil Elwood, a spokesperson for the Tice family, told the BBC that if the findings were accurate, using US taxpayer funds to support someone associated with alleged chemical weapons attacks against Syrian civilians would be deeply troubling.
He also argued that Hassan should be returned to face trial rather than being allowed to remain protected abroad.
The BBC approached the FBI, CIA and Lebanon’s General Directorate of General Security for comment on its findings.
The FBI was the only organisation to respond, declining to comment on the specific allegations and referring the broadcaster to its previous statement concerning the Tice investigation.
A case still shrouded in uncertainty
More than a decade after Austin Tice disappeared in Syria, his fate remains one of the most closely watched unresolved cases involving an American journalist in the country.
The latest BBC investigation raises new questions about the extent to which US authorities have relied on former Syrian regime figures to obtain information about Tice, and whether those arrangements have produced meaningful progress in determining what happened to him.
It also raises broader questions about the difficult choices intelligence agencies can face when seeking information from individuals accused of serious crimes.
For now, Hassan remains in Lebanon, while Syrian authorities reportedly seek his return and US investigators continue pursuing information about Austin Tice.
The BBC’s findings, however, remain based largely on interviews with sources familiar with the alleged arrangements and documents reviewed as part of its investigation. Several of the most serious allegations could not be independently established by the broadcaster, and the US authorities have not publicly confirmed the reported deal with Hassan.
