Rami Makhlouf, Kamal al-Hasan, and Abu Ali Kheder Hold Meetings with Israeli Officials

ARK News.. A Syrian media source reported that Kamal al-Hasan, former head of the military intelligence branch under the ousted regime, and businessman Abu Ali Kheder, affiliated with the Assad family, made an unannounced visit to Israel in early December 2025, holding meetings with officials from Israel’s internal security service (Shabak).

According to Syria TV, the discussions focused on seeking Israeli support for the Syrian coastal regions, amid Moscow’s waning enthusiasm for providing political cover or protection for a proposed “Alawite state” project, coinciding with improving Damascus-Moscow relations.

The meetings reportedly presented a comprehensive plan for separation from Damascus, suggesting that Israel could act as a guarantor, in coordination with certain European countries along the Mediterranean.

The plan is based on concerns from European powers about potential refugee flows across the Mediterranean if security and economic conditions deteriorate in Syria’s coastal regions, highlighting thousands of officers and officials positioned between the Syrian coast and Lebanon ready to act if political backing and external support are secured.
The source added that direct meetings had previously taken place in Iraq and Lebanon to coordinate positions and exchange assessments on potential moves against Damascus and on unifying political and security pressure in later stages.

Separately, it was reported that Rami Makhlouf, cousin of the ousted Assad, met with an Israeli embassy official in a regional country to discuss what he described as the challenges facing the Alawite minority under a rule he considered “Sunni-dominated.”

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