Former Assad loyalists 'funnelling money' to armed groups in Syria

Wealthy allies of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are reportedly funnelling money to armed groups to stoke an uprising against the interim government. According to a Reuters investigation, Major-General Kamal Hassan and billionaire Rami Makhlouf are financing over 50,000 fighters, primarily from the Alawi minority in Syria and Lebanon. Their goal is to gain loyalty and capture control of underground command rooms and weapons caches built during Assad's rule. These efforts to undermine the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa are occurring amid recent sectarian violence and the new leadership's attempts to reassure minorities of an inclusive, pluralistic state.