Suheil al-Hassan

Major General Suhayl al-Hasan is a former Syrian military officer, serving as the commander of the Syrian Arab Army's Special Forces. He graduated from the Syrian Air Force academy in 1991, and served in many units in the Syrian Air Defence Force Command, completing several training courses. Following his service in the Syrian Air Force and Air Defence units, he joined the Air Force Intelligence service, where he was responsible for the training of the elements of the Special Operations Section. During the Syrian Civil War, al-Hasan has served and commanded his troops during several major engagements, including Operation Canopus Star and the battle for the Shaer gas field. He is part of the new generation of field Syrian army commanders who emerged during the civil war. In 2015, French newspaper Le Monde mentioned al-Hasan as a potential rival to Assad as leader of Syria.