Lebanon Holds Ex-Assad General, May Extradite Him to Syria

Lebanese authorities have detained a former senior Syrian military officer who served under ousted President Bashar Assad, and are considering handing him over to Damascus to face charges, judicial and security officials said on Saturday.

The detained officer, Maj. Gen. Adel Issa, once commanded Syria's 17th Division. If Beirut sends him back, it would mark the first time Lebanon has extradited an official from the Assad era. Since Assad's government fell in December 2024, dozens of members of his security agencies have been arrested and tried in Syria.

Issa reportedly went to the Syrian embassy in Beirut on Friday to handle paperwork. Embassy staff then informed Lebanon's prosecutor's office that Issa was wanted in Syria. A team from the Central Criminal Investigation Department arrested him and moved him to the Beirut Palace of Justice detention center.

During interrogation, Issa said he had crossed into Lebanon illegally after Assad's fall but denied all accusations. Because Friday is part of the weekend in Syria, Lebanese judicial authorities are waiting until Monday for Syrian officials to send his charge sheet. They will then study the case and decide whether to hand him over next week.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Issa was moved in 2015 to command ground forces in Deir el-Zour province, which borders Iraq, and retired in late 2016.

Syria's conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011 and turned into a civil war that killed half a million people and wounded over a million. Assad and his brother Maher fled to Russia after the fall. Assad's cousin, Atef Najib, blamed for atrocities that helped spark the uprising, was put on trial in April; a ruling is expected next week.