Assad officer extradited to Syria on war crimes charges for first time
Lebanon handed over former General Adel Issa, as Syria steps up its pursuit of wanted members of the former regime.
For the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, an officer who served under his former regime has been extradited to Syria from Lebanon on war crimes charges.
Major General Adel Issa, 67, is facing accusations related to numerous alleged crimes committed during the Syrian civil war, which concluded in December 2024 with the rebel capture of Damascus and Assad's flight. The conflict is estimated to have resulted in at least half a million deaths.
Issa was taken into custody on August 8 after a visit to the Syrian embassy in Beirut for paperwork, and was transferred to Syrian authorities on Wednesday. This handover comes amid pressure from Syria's new government on Lebanon to address former security and military officials who crossed the border following Assad's ousting.
According to the Syrian interior ministry, Issa commanded ground forces in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor until 2016. The charges against him include intentional homicide, facilitating a felony, killing more than two individuals, and "torture leading to death and crimes of aggression with the aim of inciting civil war and sectarian fighting." Judicial officials informed the BBC that Issa denied these charges upon his arrest.
His extradition was carried out under a 1951 agreement between Syria and Lebanon. Issa's case will now be reviewed by a referral judge in Damascus, who will determine if it should proceed to a criminal court.
In January, Syria provided Lebanese officials with a list containing over 200 former senior officers it seeks to prosecute. Since assuming power, authorities under President Ahmed al-Sharaa have pursued cases against dozens of former officials. Earlier this month, a Damascus court sentenced Assad and his brother, Maher, to death in absentia for abuses during the civil war; both fled to Moscow when Sharaa's forces took control. Their cousins, Waseem al-Assad and Atif Najib, have been arrested in Syria and also received death sentences.