Suhayl al-Hasan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Suhayl al-Hasan
سُهَيْلُ الْحَسَنِ |
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| Other name(s) | النمر Al-Nimr ('the Tiger') |
| Born | 10 June 1970 Beit Ana, Jableh, Latakia, Syria |
| Allegiance |  Ba'athist Syria |
| Service/ |
 Syrian Arab Army |
| Years of service | 1991–2024 |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Commands held | Special Forces Command 25th Special Mission Forces Division |
| Battles/wars |
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| Awards | Order of Civil Merit Order of Bravery Order of Friendship (Russia) |
Major General Suhayl al-Hasan (born 10 June 1970) is a Syrian military officer. He used to be the commander of the Syrian Arab Army's Special Forces. He graduated from the Syrian Air Force academy in 1991. He served in many units and completed several training courses.
After his service in the Air Force, he joined the Air Force Intelligence. There, he was in charge of training soldiers for special operations. During the Syrian Civil War, al-Hasan led his troops in many important battles. These included Operation Canopus Star and the battle for the Shaer gas field. He was one of the new military leaders who became well-known during the civil war.
Some experts believed that al-Hasan preferred Russia as Syria's main ally. This was different from other leaders who preferred Iran. After the fall of the Assad regime in 2024, Al-Hasan went into hiding.
Contents
- Biography
- Military service
- During the Syrian civil war
- Ariha Battle (August 2013)
- Aleppo campaign (September 2013 – July 2014)
- Hama campaign (July 2014 – October 2014)
- Homs desert and Shaer gas field (November 2014 – March 2015)
- Idlib (April 2015 – June 2015)
- Al-Ghab offensive (July–August 2015)
- Breaking the siege of Kuweires airport (October 2015 – November 2015)
- Targeting by Turkish drone strike
- Current status
- During the Syrian civil war
- See also
Biography
Suhayl al-Hasan is from the Alawite community in Syria. As of November 2014, he had not seen his son for four years because of the civil war.
Al-Hasan first appeared in the media in spring 2014. A video showed him visiting troops on the front lines in Aleppo. He is known for liking poetry. He would even broadcast his own poems to enemies, warning them to surrender. He said he always tried to give enemies a chance to give up. However, he showed no mercy if they refused or betrayed him.
Al-Hasan turned down a promotion to brigadier general. He wanted to keep leading his troops directly in battles. His battle methods involved intense attacks on enemy positions. A Syrian military source once said that Hassan had "never lost any battles." However, the second siege of Wadi Deif was seen as a defeat for him. Also, his Tiger forces could not break enemy lines in Idlib in 2015.
On 25 December 2015, al-Hasan was reportedly promoted from colonel to brigadier general. His rank was debated at the time. On 31 December 2022, he was promoted to major general. On 9 April 2024, he became the Commander of the Special Forces of the Syrian Arab Army.
Military service
In 1991, al-Hasan graduated as a Lieutenant from the Homs Military College. He quickly joined the Air Force Intelligence Directorate’s Special Operations Unit. There, he helped train Syria's paratrooper groups. Because of his hard work, he was transferred to the Syrian Air Force Intelligence headquarters. This happened when al-Qaeda activity was increasing around 2005-2006. Colonel Hassan was known for being determined. He helped find and arrest many Al-Qaeda members operating in Syria.
During the Syrian civil war
In 2011, Colonel al-Hasan moved to the Syrian Arab Army's Special Forces. He led the fight against Al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, the Al-Nusra Front, near Latakia in 2013. His success led to him being sent to other battlefronts. He then spent time in Hama. In late 2013, he was given a special project. He had to train and lead a Special Forces unit that would mainly attack enemies. Colonel Hassan carefully chose many soldiers who later formed the Tiger Forces. This included his close friend, Captain Lu’ayy Al-Sleitan.
Ariha Battle (August 2013)
In August 2013, the important city of Ariha in Idlib fell to rebel groups. Al-Hasan led the counterattack to take the town back. The battle lasted 10 days. The Syrian army, with strong air support, managed to regain control of Ariha.
Aleppo campaign (September 2013 – July 2014)
On 26 August 2013, rebels captured the town of Khanasir. This cut off the government's main supply route to Aleppo. Al-Hasan was given the job of reopening this road. He left Hama with a large military group to achieve this. On 3 October, after a week of fighting, the Syrian army took back Khanasir. One week later, after capturing over 40 villages, the rebel siege of Aleppo was broken. By this point, al-Hasan's forces had advanced far into rebel areas to help the city.
After securing areas around Aleppo airport, al-Hasan and his troops moved north. They aimed for the industrial city of Sheikh Najjar. This was a very strong rebel position with many tunnels and weapon factories. The battle for Sheikh Najjar lasted from January to July 2014. The Syrian Army eventually took full control of the industrial city.
On 22 May 2014, Syrian troops led by al-Hasan helped the Aleppo central prison. The prison had been under attack by rebels for over a year. This was an important victory for the Syrian army. It also helped them cut off another supply road used by rebels in Aleppo.
Hama campaign (July 2014 – October 2014)
In July 2014, Al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, al-Nusra Front, launched a big attack in northern Hama Governorate. This threatened Hama city, the Hama Military Airport, and the Christian city of Mhardeh. The situation was difficult for the Syrian army. Colonel al-Hasan was put in charge of all military operations there. He arrived in Hama in late August with some of his best troops. The Syrian troops quickly took control of Arzah, Khittab, and its base. They also stopped the attack on Mhardeh. The counterattack gained strength and reversed all rebel gains. This included Helfaya in less than a month.
The army continued its attack, entering areas previously held by rebels. They put pressure on rebel strongholds like Lataminah and Kafr Zita. They also retook the important town of Morek. The Syrian army had tried and failed to remove rebels from Morek for 10 months before this.
Homs desert and Shaer gas field (November 2014 – March 2015)
In early November 2014, al-Hasan took part in an operation. The goal was to retake a gas field that had been seized by Islamic State fighters.
Idlib (April 2015 – June 2015)
In late April 2015, he was on the front lines in Idlib Governorate. He was fighting against a large rebel attack on Jisr al-Shughur. A video showed him asking the Syrian Defence Minister for supplies. He said he had 800 men and needed ammunition right away.
On 13 June, one of Hassan's bodyguards was killed by a sniper.
Al-Ghab offensive (July–August 2015)
On 7 August, Hassan was injured in a rebel mortar attack on a government military camp.
Breaking the siege of Kuweires airport (October 2015 – November 2015)
The Kuweires military airport in eastern Aleppo was under siege. First, rebel groups besieged it in 2013. Then, the Islamic State besieged it after taking over rebel areas in 2014. The Syrian soldiers inside the airport fought off many attempts by the Islamic State to capture the base. The Syrian army started a military operation in September 2015 to help the airport.
By mid-October, al-Hasan and his Tiger forces began to advance on Kuweires. They captured village after village. The Islamic State attacked and cut the main road between Aleppo and Hama for two weeks. They also attacked the city of al-Safirah to distract the army, but they were pushed back. The siege was finally broken on 11 November. This happened after nearly a month of fighting to close the gap between the army and the airbase. President Bashar Al-Assad personally congratulated al-Hasan for his role in breaking the siege.
Targeting by Turkish drone strike
On 4 March 2020, Turkish sources claimed that al-Hasan was targeted and wounded by Turkish drone strikes near Saraqib. This was part of Operation Spring Shield.
Current status
Suhayl al-Hasan is currently on the run. Some of his followers have carried out attacks on the new Syrian government forces.
He was sanctioned by the European Union on 23 June 2025. This was due to his involvement in the Tiger Forces and the Coastal Shield Brigade after the fall of the Assad regime.
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See also
In Spanish: Suhail Hassan para niños
