Mossad Helped Former Syrian Spy Chief Wanted for War Crimes to Flee to Austria- Report

Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi, served as chief of Syrian intelligence in Raqqa from 2009 until 2013
Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi, served as chief of Syrian intelligence in Raqqa from 2009 until 2013
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Mossad Helped Former Syrian Spy Chief Wanted for War Crimes to Flee to Austria- Report

Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi, served as chief of Syrian intelligence in Raqqa from 2009 until 2013
Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi, served as chief of Syrian intelligence in Raqqa from 2009 until 2013

A former Syrian intelligence official who was refused asylum in France was reportedly able to escape to Austria with the help of Mossad.

Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi, served as chief of Syrian intelligence in Raqqa from 2009 until 2013,

An investigation by the Daily Telegraph claimed that he was helped to leave the country and start a new life.

The investigation also found that a lawsuit has been filed against Halabi in a western country for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

According to the complaint, during his time in charge prisoners in a Raqqa facility were murdered, tortured, and sexually assaulted.

Halabi has denied any wrongdoing.

France’s espionage agency, DGSE, helped Syria’s former general holiday to France in 2014, although it was denied asylum in the country in 2015 because it was involved in criminal acts.

Mysteriously, he was then transported from France to Austria by Israeli intelligence agents where he was granted asylum, a judicial source told the Daily Telegraph.

‘Since he was not really ready to seek asylum in France, he would make contact with Mossad, who was in contact with Austria’s BVT. [the country’s domestic intelligence agency], ‘The source said.

The report claimed that his asylum application was granted in December 2015 and Austrian authorities provided him with a four-bedroom apartment in Vienna.

The scandal has taken place in Austria since it emerged in the country’s press this month, with many MPs describing Halabi as a ‘war criminal’.



Wars Top Global Risk as Davos Elite Gathers in Shadow of Fragmented World

A view of a logo during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a logo during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Wars Top Global Risk as Davos Elite Gathers in Shadow of Fragmented World

A view of a logo during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a logo during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Armed conflict is the top risk in 2025, a World Economic Forum (WEF) survey released on Wednesday showed, a reminder of the deepening global fragmentation as government and business leaders attend an annual gathering in Davos next week.

Nearly one in four of the more than 900 experts surveyed across academia, business and policymaking ranked conflict, including wars and terrorism, as the most severe risk to economic growth for the year ahead.

Extreme weather, the no. 1 concern in 2024, was the second-ranked danger.

"In a world marked by deepening divides and cascading risks, global leaders have a choice: to foster collaboration and resilience, or face compounding instability," WEF Managing Director Mirek Dusek said in a statement accompanying the report.

"The stakes have never been higher."

The WEF gets underway on Jan. 20 and Donald Trump, who will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States the same day and has promised to end the war in Ukraine, will address the meeting virtually on Jan. 23. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will attend the meeting and give a speech on Jan. 21, according to the WEF organizers.

Among other global leaders due to attend the meeting are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.

Syria, the "terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza" and the potential escalation of the conflict in the Middle East will be a focus at the gathering, according to WEF President and CEO Borge Brende.

Negotiators were hammering out the final details of a potential ceasefire in Gaza on Wednesday, following marathon talks in Qatar.

The threat of misinformation and disinformation was ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years, according to the survey, the same ranking as in 2024.

Over a 10-year horizon environmental threats dominated experts' risk concerns, the survey showed. Extreme weather was the top longer-term global risk, followed by biodiversity loss, critical change to earth's systems and a shortage of natural resources.

Global temperatures last year exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial era for the first time, bringing the world closer to breaching the pledge governments made under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

A global risk is defined by the survey as a condition that would negatively affect a significant proportion of global GDP, population or natural resources. Experts were surveyed in September and October.

The majority of respondents, 64%, expect a multipolar, fragmented global order to persist.