Syria – The Elimination of the “Whale” – Muhammad Baraa al- Qaterji (July 15, 2024)

On July 15, 2024, at around 6:00 P.M., local sources said that Muhammad Baraa Ahmad Rashdi al- Qaterji’s vehicle was struck, resulting in his immediate death. Al-Qaterji is acknowledged as a prominent Syrian entrepreneur associated with the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad, holding significant importance.

Since 2017, he has established and maintained a wide-ranging network of connections with the Shiite axis in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is plausible that the extensive operations of its businesses serve as a substantial infrastructure to support the activities of the Shiite Axis and Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon.

Al-Qaterji’s BMW X5 was struck while traveling in the Al-Sabura region, located to the west of Damascus, on Route 1, which serves as a connection between Syria and Lebanon. Yasser Nimr Karnabash, a high-ranking member of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, responsible for facilitating weapons deliveries to Lebanon, was slain on July 9 at this same location.

Al-Qaterji allegedly helped assist Hezbollah and the Shiite Axis troops working with the Quds Force in Syria, as well as participating in money laundering activities. Al-Qaterji is listed on the American, European, and Saudi sanctions lists due to his efforts in bolstering the economy of the Assad government. According to the American sanctions list (dated September 6, 2018), the US Treasury Department stated that al-Qaterji acted as a middleman between the Syrian regime and the Islamic State in finalizing oil agreements. The report also mentioned that al-Qaterji’s oil company, which is officially registered in Syria, facilitated the transfer of oil shipments between the two parties. Additionally, the company supplied fuel and weapons shipments to the regime.

Al-Qaterji was the subject of articles published in Al-Akhbar, Hezbollah’s main mouthpiece, in May 2016 and December 2017. The article “Catching the Whale” was published in December 2017. The publications were a deliberate and coordinated effort by the Shiite axis to target Al- Qaterji, perhaps to pressure and extort him in matters related to finances and power dynamics.

In the effort to combat Al-Qaterji, previous legal cases against him were reexamined, including his involvement in the seizure of archaeological sites in Aleppo. Additionally, he has been charged with misappropriating wheat supplies, pilfering funds from the Iranian credit line in a foreign currency, and offering military support to the Islamic State, a sworn adversary of the Shiite alliance.

According to the accounts, it was said that al-Qaterji promptly went to the Dahia in Beirut and sought the protection of Hezbollah from the Syrian regime, which al-Qaterji believed was responsible for the campaign against him. Hezbollah sent an offer to Al-Qaterji, providing safety on the condition that he collaborates completely with the Shiite axis in Syria and pay a significant amount of money, (protection money).

The coercion and extortion were quite efficacious. Subsequent reports have characterized Al-Qaterji as an integral component of Iran’s strategy to establish a strong presence in Syria…

Al-Qaterji was born in 1976 in the Al-Raqqah Province in northern Syria. He is from a family with roots in the city of Al-Bab in Aleppo Province. He is the sibling of Husam al-Qaterji, who is both a businessman and a member of the Syrian parliament.

Al-Qaterji holds a founding partnership position in many firms. The most notable entities among these are the “International Electrji Group,” which comprises several firms such as the “Catarji Mechanical Engineering Industries Company” and the “Arpada” Oil Company. The latter specializes in engineering and strategic development of projects related to oil, gas infrastructure, and well drilling. “Arpada” have the exclusive rights to engage in the purchase and sale of crude oil and various types of hydrocarbon products.

He is a founding partner in several companies, including Aleppo, a private holding company, the “Jadjour” company for agriculture and animal husbandry, Aleb Consulting and Technical Solutions, Qaterji Real Estate Development and Investment, and BS Oil Services. BS Oil Services is registered in Lebanon and specializes in petroleum services, specifically meeting the oil derivative needs of industrialists at the price determined by the Syrian regime. In addition to the importation and processing of crude oil from the refineries located in Banias and Homs, it was granted the authorization to sell and export refined oil products derived from crude oil on the local market. Furthermore, it functions as a cover for the direct importation of oil derivatives for the Syrian regime, with the intention of circumventing the sanctions imposed on it.

other research reveals that Al-Qaterji has three other firms in Lebanon, which are registered under the names of Lebanese businesspeople who have strong affiliations with Hezbollah.

Al-Qaterji, together with his brother Hussam, had a significant role in creating a well-armed paramilitary organization called the Al-Qaterji Group. This group is predominantly active in the Aleppo Province. In the course of the civil war, the Al-Qaterji Group actively engaged in military actions that ultimately resulted in the encirclement of the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo in late 2016. The actions eventually resulted in the death and forced relocation of several Syrians to the Idlib region and the rural areas north of Aleppo.

Above: Hussam, the brother, in military uniform, together with members of the militia they established in 2019.

Al-Qaterji was linked to extensive networks of financial and administrative corruption within various levels of government. These connections allowed him to establish direct ties with the inner circle surrounding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as well as with businessman and former relative of President Rami Makhlouf. Consequently, these connections facilitated the growth of al- Qaterji’s business ventures.

The Al-Qaterji Group achieved a major advancement when the Syrian government troops relinquished control of Raqqa region to the Free Army in 2011, subsequently, the Islamic State organization took over the district. Al-Qaterji had a significant role as a middleman in major transactions involving oil, wheat, and weaponry between the Syrian troops, the Islamic State, and Kurdish forces. Al-Qaterji utilized the established networks in Raqqa and its surroundings to execute a strategy of transporting oil and wheat from Kurdish and Islamic State-controlled regions to Syrian regime-controlled territories. Additionally, he facilitated the flow of weaponry to both sides.

Sources: