Lebanon has handed over a former senior Syrian army officer to the Damascus authorities to face charges related to murder and torture. This is seen as the first transfer of its kind since former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in 2024.
According to Syria's Interior Ministry, the transfer involves Major General Adel Issa, former commander of the Syrian army's 17th Division, who later commanded ground forces in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zur.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Syrian Interior Ministry confirmed it had received Issa from Lebanon and said the Syrian arrest warrant accuses Issa of crimes including intentional killing, aiding criminal acts, killing more than two people, torture leading to death, and offenses aimed at inciting civil war and sectarian conflict.
A transfer judge in Damascus will hear Issa's case, and it could be referred to a criminal court for trial, the ministry added.
According to Reuters, Issa, 67, has denied all charges. He was arrested on August 8 when he arrived at the Syrian embassy in Beirut to complete paperwork. Embassy officials informed the Lebanese prosecutor's office that Issa was wanted in Syria, and Lebanese investigators subsequently placed him in custody.
The transfer comes after months of pressure from Damascus for Lebanon to act against former government officials as well as military and security officers who sought refuge in Lebanon after al-Assad's regime collapsed in December 2024. President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former rebel leader, now heads the country.
In January, the Syrian authorities provided Lebanese security officials with a list of more than 200 former senior officers wanted by Damascus. Earlier this month, a court in Damascus sentenced al-Assad to death in absentia on charges of murder, unlawful detention, and torture. Al-Assad currently lives in exile in Moscow.
