plot

An Al Jazeera Arabic investigation obtains recordings of Suheil al-Hassan discussing Israeli support, regrouping efforts.

An Al Jazeera Arabic investigation has uncovered a plot by the aides of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad to destabilise Syria, featuring leaked recordings that suggest coordination with Israel.

The revelations, set to be broadcast on the programme Al-Mutahari, or The Investigator, on Wednesday evening, are based on more than 74 hours of leaked audio recordings and hundreds of pages of documents obtained in the investigation.

The leaks implicate al-Assad’s high-ranking officers, specifically Suheil al-Hassan, the brigadier-general who commanded the notorious Quwwat al-Nimr (Tiger Forces), an elite unit in the former regime’s army.

‘Israel will stand with you’

The investigation uncovers attempts by these officers to regroup, gather funding, and secure weapons to undermine stability in the country following the ousting of al-Assad.

In one of the most significant recordings, a source — identified in the leaks as a hacker or intermediary — is heard assuring al-Hassan of Israeli backing.

“The State of Israel, with all its capabilities, will stand with you,” the source tells al-Hassan.

“There is a level higher than me, Mr Rami is the one who coordinates,” al-Hassan is heard saying. “And I have dangerous intelligence information.”

It has been a year since a lightning offensive by allied rebel groups, led by current President Ahmed al-Sharaa, ended the Assad dynasty’s 54-year reign, forcing Bashar al-Assad into Russian exile.

Yet, as the regime collapsed, Israel seized on the instability by significantly escalating its military campaign in Syria, targeting much of its neighbour’s military infrastructure, including main airports, air defence systems, fighter planes, and other strategic facilities, as well as occupying more of Syria’s Golan Heights, and bombing the capital, Damascus, in July.

Over the past year, Israel has launched more than 600 air, drone or artillery attacks across Syria, averaging nearly two a day, according to a tally by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).

‘The feeling of the coast’

The recordings also feature Ghiath Dalla, a former brigadier-general in al-Assad’s forces, who appears to validate al-Hassan’s position as a representative of the regime’s traditional strongholds.

“My Master, Suheil the Tiger, spoke the feeling of the whole mountain and the whole coast,” Dalla is heard saying, referring to the coastal and mountainous regions that were long considered the heartland of support for the al-Assad family.

The leaked conversations also capture al-Hassan expressing disdain for current developments, referred to as “the flood”.

“Our prayers for you all are that this foolishness, this evil, and this blackness called the flood ends,” al-Hassan says in the recording.

Investigation to air

The full extent of the plot will be detailed in the upcoming episode of The Investigator, hosted by Jamal el-Maliki.

Parts of the leaks are airing on Al Jazeera’s platforms on Wednesday, with the complete investigation scheduled for release in mid-January.

Red Eye season 2 premieres on 1st January 2026, with Jing Lusi and Lesley Sharp returning alongside new lead Martin Compston for the gripping thriller

ITV is starting the year with a bang, bringing back its popular original thriller Red Eye. Creator Peter A Dowling and director Kieron Moore are teaming up again for a fresh story that once more puts DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi) and MI5 director-general Madeline Delaney (Lesley Sharp) in serious jeopardy.

The first series centred on the spine-chilling events on an extradition flight to China, where an alleged murderer was embroiled in a complicated international conspiracy.

This latest chapter builds on those global political tensions, splitting time between a besieged US Embassy in London and a rigged flight back to the English capital.

If you’re excited to tune into Red Eye season 2 on ITV1 and ITVX, read on for everything you need to know about the show’s return.

Red Eye season 2 release date

Red Eye season 2 is set to premiere on ITV1 at 9pm on Thursday, 1st January 2026 (New Year’s Day). All six episodes will also be available on ITVX from that date, allowing fans to binge-watch ahead.

Red Eye season 2 cast: New and returning

Red Eye season 2 welcomes back Jing Lusi as DC Hana Li, who spent the first series untangling a complex conspiracy on a dangerous flight to China.

Lesley Sharp is back in action as Madeline Delaney, now the director general of MI5, who finds herself in a precarious situation on an overseas flight in season 2, mirroring Hana’s ordeal from the first series.

Other familiar faces include Jemma Moore (Lockwood & Co.) reprising her role as Hana’s sister Jess, a fearless journalist, and Robert Gilbert (Bergerac) returning as her boss, Superintendent Simon O’Brian. Notably missing is Richard Armitage as Dr Matthew Nolan, with Line of Duty’s Martin Compston stepping in to fill his shoes as Lusi’s male co-lead, playing US Embassy security chief Clay Brody.

In summary, here’s an overview of the Red Eye season 2 cast:

• Jing Lusi as Detective Hana Li
• Lesley Sharp as Madeline Delaney
• Martin Compston as Clay Brody
• Jemma Moore as Jess Li
• Robert Gilbert as Supt. Simon O’Brien
• Cash Holland as Ruth Banks
• Jonathan Aris as John Tennant
• Steph Lacey as Megan Campbell
• Nicholas Rowe as DSEC Alex Peterson
• Trevor White as US Ambassador Ronald Tillman
• Isaura Barbe-Brown as DCM Cece Redding
• Danusia Samal as Captain Sarah Wright
• Guy Williams as Air Marshal John Johnson

Red Eye season 2 plot: What is it about?

Red Eye season 2 once again divides its attention between another endangered flight and events unfolding on the ground, but this time around, Hana Li is grounded while Madeline Delaney is trapped thousands of feet in the air.

The synopsis reads: “Inside the US Embassy, the celebrations for a newly appointed US Ambassador to London are shattered when a call, threatening to blow a British plane out of the sky if anyone leaves, triggers an immediate embassy lockdown, trapping guests and staff inside.

“And that’s when the murders begin, landing Hana Li, as a British cop, in a political and jurisdictional nightmare. Compelled to join forces with the Head of Embassy Security, Clay Brody, played by Martin Compston, a former colleague who once screwed her over, Hana has to see her way past her distrust of him and focus on the investigation.

“Because this time it’s personal: The plane that will be blown up is a government jet, and Director General Madeline Delaney is onboard.”

Red Eye season 1 is available to stream on ITVX. Season 2 premieres on New Year’s Day 2026.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new ** Everything Gossip ** website**

Death in Paradise returns for a festive special episode tonight, with a guest cast set to join DI Mervin Wilson

Death in Paradise is gearing up for another festive special episode, ahead of welcoming a fresh series in 2026. The BBC programme has proved a massive success since it first hit our screens in 2011, with Ben Miller originally taking the lead detective role.

Don Gilet has stepped into Death in Paradise as the newest lead detective, DI Mervin Wilson, making his debut in the 2024 Christmas Special before headlining the complete Series 14 in early 2025, replacing Ralf Little.

Discussing his return to the role of Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson, Don Gilet shared with the BBC: “It felt good. Slightly daunting, but in a positive sense because you want to do the same again, if not better.

“I jokingly describe it as the second album. The first album went really well, but you can’t rest on your laurels and be complacent, there’s still more audience out there to win over. So, I went out to Guadeloupe with a renewed appetite. It was great to come back and reconnect with the characters and the actors,” reports the Express.

The BBC has now revealed what audiences can anticipate from the Christmas special, scheduled to broadcast tonight (December 28) on BBC One, featuring a new guest lineup appearing in this year’s standalone episode.

Death in Paradise Christmas special 2025 cast

• DI Mervin Wilson- Don Gilet
• Detective Sergeant Naomi Thomas- Shantol Jackson
• Officer Sebastian Rose- Shaquille Ali-Yebuah
• Catherine Bordey- Elizabeth Bourgine
• Officer Darlene Curtis- Ginny Holder

Guest cast

• Josie Lawrence (Outside Edge)
• Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead)
• Pearl Mackie (Doctor Who)
• James Baxter (Waterloo Road
• Billy Harris (Ted Lasso)
• Oriana Charles
• Alix Serman

Death in Paradise Christmas special 2025 plot

The BBC has revealed a thrilling plot for the upcoming Christmas special of Death in Paradise. The office Christmas do takes a sinister twist when four colleagues wake up with pounding heads, only to find an unknown man shot dead in their villa’s pool.

DI Mervin Wilson and his squad manage to locate the murder weapon, but they’re left scratching their heads when they realise it was locked away in a drawer at the time of the shooting… and that drawer was thousands of miles from the crime scene, all the way back in Swindon. All the suspects insist they’ve never crossed paths with the deceased before.

As the team delves deeper into a tangled web of secrets and criminal activity, it becomes apparent they’ll need all the assistance they can muster to crack this perplexing case. Maybe a familiar face spending the festive season back in the UK could be persuaded to chip in.

Meanwhile, the Yuletide celebrations on Saint Marie are in full swing. The annual nativity is underway, and Mervin has a role to fill. But the DI has other matters preoccupying him.

A few months ago, he reached out to a brother he’d only recently discovered, but he’s yet to hear back. Can Mervin sort out his family issues and embrace the holiday cheer for the sake of his team and the island?

The Death in Paradise Christmas special airs Sunday, December 28 at 8:30pm on BBC One

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**