Hassan Khalil | |
---|---|
حسن خليل | |
Head of Military Intelligence Directorate | |
In office 2000–2005 | |
President | Bashar al-Assad |
Prime Minister | Muhammad Mustafa Mero Muhammad Naji al-Otari |
Preceded by | Ali Duba |
Succeeded by | Assef Shawkat |
Deputy Director of Military Intelligence | |
In office 1993–2000 | |
Prime Minister | Mahmoud Al-Zoubi |
Personal details | |
Born | Latakia, Syria |
Died | Damascus, Syria |
Political party | Ba'ath Party |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Syria |
Branch/service | Syrian Arab Army |
Hassan Khalil (Arabic: حسن خليل) was the former Head of the Military Intelligence Directorate (Syria), serving from 2000 to 2005.[1] Khalil was previously deputy director from 1993 to 2000.[2]
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.[3]
Hassan Khalil was one of several high-ranking Syrian government and military officials named as responsible for the assassination of Rafic Hariri in a draft of the United Nations Mehlis Report that was erroneously released as a Microsoft Word document which preserved changes that had been made in the document since its creation.[4][5] 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 was "full of political rumors, gossip, and hearsay."[4]
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.[6]