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Damascus Exposes ‘Shadow Financial Circles’

Mujahed Ismail, businessman, MP, and head of the “Baath Brigades”
Mujahed Ismail, businessman, MP, and head of the “Baath Brigades”
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Damascus Exposes ‘Shadow Financial Circles’

Mujahed Ismail, businessman, MP, and head of the “Baath Brigades”
Mujahed Ismail, businessman, MP, and head of the “Baath Brigades”

In a surprising move, Syrian state media reported Wednesday that the People's Assembly voted to allow legal action against lawmakers Mujahed Ismail, leader of the “Baath Brigades,” and Khaled Zubaidi, head of the Syrian-Algerian Business Council and a key player in the real estate sector.

This decision came just a day after the assembly unanimously voted to revoke the membership of businessman Mohammad Hamsho, closely linked to President Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher.

Hamsho is the second member to lose his seat in less than a month for holding Turkish citizenship, following the removal of Aleppo MP Shadi Dibs on Oct. 10.

In a brief report, the local newspaper Al-Watan announced that the assembly voted to permit legal action against Ismail and Zubaidi, but did not clarify the reasons for these proceedings.

This development is significant, as it marks a first in the assembly’s history since President Hafez al-Assad came to power in the early 1970s.

Traditionally, members have needed to gain approval from decision-making circles based on their security profiles, according to sources in Damascus cited by Asharq Al-Awsat.

Although the vote results have not been disclosed, leaks from unofficial local media about the legal actions against key regime figures suggest a potential shift in protection, indicating that these individuals may now be at risk of exclusion from influential financial networks.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that these recent actions signal Damascus's commitment to making changes aimed at reorganizing its internal structure.

This effort is in response to Arab pressures for progress in normalizing relations with Syria, which depend on addressing issues like drug trafficking, refugee returns, and advancing a political solution to the crisis.

These topics were key points in discussions last Sunday between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Syrian officials.

The sources also suggested that the Assad regime may consider restructuring its economic front, much of which is currently subject to international sanctions.

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EU Preparing to Appoint Envoy to Syria to Address Migration Crisis

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni hold a joint press conference in Beirut. (Reuters)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni hold a joint press conference in Beirut. (Reuters)
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EU Preparing to Appoint Envoy to Syria to Address Migration Crisis

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni hold a joint press conference in Beirut. (Reuters)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni hold a joint press conference in Beirut. (Reuters)

The European Union is preparing to appoint a special envoy to Syria, with officials from the Commission and the External Relations Department emphasizing that this move is not intended to “normalize relations with the regime” but rather to address the escalating migration crisis, which is expected to become increasingly complex after recent developments in Lebanon.

Lebanon has seen nearly a quarter of its population displaced, with many of their homes destroyed in border villages and parts of Beirut due to Israeli attacks.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in coordination with her Austrian counterpart, has been active in recent months, pushing the EU toward normalizing relations with Syria to facilitate the return of refugees.

However, some member states, led by France, have strongly opposed this approach, ultimately agreeing—after extensive negotiations within the European Council—to appoint a special envoy whose mandate is limited to addressing the refugee crisis.

The issue of refugees and displaced persons was central to Meloni’s recent discussions during her regional visit, with Beirut as her final stop. There, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged her to intervene to help resolve the crisis, which poses significant challenges as winter approaches.

In July, Italy, currently holding the G7 presidency, decided to appoint an envoy to Damascus to “shed light” on Syria, as Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani put it.

Italy had withdrawn all its diplomatic staff from Damascus in 2012 and suspended its diplomatic activities in Syria in protest against the “unacceptable violence” by Bashar al-Assad’s regime against its citizens, who were holding peaceful rallies against his rule.

Earlier this summer, Italy and seven other EU countries sent a letter to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, urging a more active European role in Syria to help return a number of Syrian refugees from EU countries, particularly Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia.

The signatories called for an end to the EU’s “three no’s” policy: no lifting of sanctions, no normalization, and no reconstruction under the current regime, emphasizing that peace in Syria is impossible as long as the current government remains in power.

Reports from the EU Migration Department indicate that Syrians continue to leave their country in significant numbers due to worsening economic conditions. Many Syrian refugees in Lebanon are also joining irregular migration routes to Europe, as living conditions have deteriorated in Lebanon in recent years. Italy, Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, and Slovakia signed the letter.

Most of these countries have recently reopened their embassies in Damascus, with Italy the only G7 nation, to resume diplomatic activities in the Syrian capital.

Italian sources have expressed concerns that Israel’s war on Lebanon could spill over into Syria or expand regionally, potentially triggering another large-scale migration crisis that the EU may not be prepared to handle under current conditions.

However, the new European policy, spearheaded by Italy amid the ongoing regional shifts, aims for a broader objective: enhancing the EU’s presence in Syria to compete with Russia, contain the Iranian regime, which has recently faced significant setbacks, and counter Türkiye's expanding influence.

Syria has been under sanctions from the United States, the EU, and several other countries since 2011.