Abu Mohammad Al-Julani, chief of the terrorist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group, tours occupied northern Idlib, Syria, February 7, 2023. (AFP)

Turkish authorities have been summoning numerous owners of exchange companies owned by Syrians in several Turkish cities for over a week now, interrogating them about the assets owned by Abu Mohammad Al-Julani, leader of the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) terror group, sources told Al Mayadeen Net.

The group was formerly known as Jabhat Al-Nusra and is the Syrian branch of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization.

The sources explained that these companies owned by Al-Julani have branches spread within the occupied Syrian governate of Idlib. It appears that these moves by Turkey come, in part, to pressure Al-Julani into ceasing attacks against Turkish-backed armed groups in northern Aleppo.

Sources further confirmed to Al Mayadeen Net that Al-Joulani has connections with some political figures in the opposition coalition government whose members reside in Turkey, and who manage some of Al-Julani's assets.

Furthermore, the sources indicated that Turkish authorities will find it difficult to confirm the involvement of the HTS chief in the assets which are under investigation, since Al-Julani partnered with individuals who are supposedly opposed to him in the scheme.

The terror leader invested in several businesses in Turkish cities, including Izmir, Istanbul, and Ankara. These investments are centered in the tourism and industrial sectors, with a reported total value of $100 million.

These assets, alongside his illegal taxing of residents in the areas under his control, provide the terrorist HTS group with crucial financing, sources told Al Mayadeen Net.

Al-Julani's control over Idlib has reached alarming levels, as he not only monopolizes the import of crucial cosmetic materials used in surgical procedures, but has also established multiple cosmetic centers meant to disguise wanted individuals. In violation of the law, Julani personally owns and operates ten illicit cosmetic centers in Idlib, with additional stakes in centers located in Sarmada, Dana, and Salqin.