Assassination attempt made on son of Syrian businessman George Haswani

RIF DIMASHQ, Syria — Local news outlets reported that an assassination attempt was made on Basil George Haswani, son of George Haswani, in Rif Dimashq in the Daramsuq (Damascus) countryside.

The reported reason behind the assassination attempt was his father’s involvement with purchasing quantities of improperly stored ammonium nitrate which led to the Beirut Port explosion on 4 August 2020 that killed hundreds and caused widespread damage.

Anonymous gunmen shot at him on Rima Road in the Yabroud area. Luckily for Haswani, the damage was only material.

George Haswani is the owner of petroleum company HESCO and was sanctioned by the U.S. for allegedly purchasing oil from the Islamic State (ISIS). On 12 January, George Haswani was a figure in an investigation prepared and aired by the Lebanese TV channel Al-Jadeed.

The investigation revealed the involvement of Syrian businessmen close to the Assad regime in the Beirut Port explosion which killed over 200 people and wounded over 6,000 others, in addition to the widespread destruction of residential buildings and commercial institutions.