Syria’s Bashar al-Assad has appointed General Mueen Qassem as head of the army’s communication department, replacing General Ma’an Hussein who was arrested over links to an espionage network.
In late June, the Syrian security, backed by Russian Intelligence reports, dismantled an espionage network, including Hussein and top security and army officers, a well-informed source told Zaman Al-Wasl.
The source said the espionage network is most probably linked to the US Central Intelligence Agency.
Qassem, the new director has come from the Air Force Intelligence with a notorious background in cracking down on Assad’s opponents.
The main mission of the communication department, which coordinates with security and military services, is to spy on Syrian telecommunications, and monitor local TV channels, and social media accounts.
The State Intelligence, backed by information and data from the Russian intelligence, tracked the network following the death of Iran’s Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani on Jan. 7, 2020, in Baghdad.
At the time, initial reports accused a Syrian agent of providing information about the Soleimani’s movements inside Syria and the exact time of his departure from Damascus airport before his death in a US drone attack two hours later.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
