Suheil al-Hassan

Suheil Salman al-Hassan (Arabic: سهيل الحسن‎) (born 10 June 1970), nicknamed The Tiger, is a Brigadier General in the Syrian Army, currently serving as commander of its elite Tiger Forces. He graduated from the Syrian Arab Air Force academy in 1991, and served in many units of the Syrian Arab Air Forces and Air Defence Command, completing several training courses. After serving in the Syrian Arab Air Force and Syrian Arab Air Defence units, he joined the Air Force Intelligence service, where he was responsible for the training of the elements of the Special Operations Section. During the Syrian Civil War, Suheil al-Hassan has served and commanded his troops during several major engagements, including Operation Canopus Star and the battle for the Shaer gas field. He is part of the new generation of field Syrian army commanders who emerged during the civil war. French newspaper "Le Monde" has claimed he could be a rival to Assad as leader of Syria.
al-Hassan was described by analysts as preferring Russia (as opposed to Iran) to serve as the Syrian Government's main ally during the Syrian Civil War and subsequent post-war reconstruction. His position is contrasted by Maher al-Assad, brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and head of Syria's Republican Guard and 4th Armoured Division, who is reported as preferring Iran. His great friend Sari Hemeche is also one of the strongest officers in the Syrian Arab Army