Hassan Khalil ( ar, حسن خليل) is the former Head of
Military Intelligence Directorate (Syria)
The Military Intelligence Directorate ( ar, شعبة المخابرات العسكرية, translit=Shu'bat al-Mukhabarat al-'Askariyya), is the military intelligence service of Syria. Although its roots go back to the French mandate period (192 ...
, serving from 2000 to 2005. Khalil was previously deputy director from 1993 to 2000.
Prior to the
Syrian civil war Hassan Khalil was a key figure in Syria's bid for improved relations with the United States and the West, using intelligence sharing as an important element for cooperation.
Controversies
Implication in Rafic Hariri assassination
Hassan Khalil was one of several high-ranking Syrian government and military officials named as responsible for the assassination of
Rafic Hariri
Rafic Bahaa El Deen Al Hariri ( ar, رفيق بهاء الدين الحريري; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese business tycoon and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from ...
in a draft of the United Nations
that was erroneously released as a Microsoft Word document which preserved changes that had been made in the document since its creation.
The official Mehlis Report made no specific mention of anyone in the Syrian government as responsible for the assassination. The Syrian ambassador to Washington, Imad Mustafa, said that the report is "full of political rumors, gossip, and hearsay."
Role in quelling civilian opposition in Syrian civil war
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad relied on Hassan Khalil in his capacity as head of Military Intelligence, to quel internal dissent with an "iron fist" during the
Syrian uprising.
References
Syrian generals
Syrian Alawites
Homs Military Academy alumni
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