Lebanon extradites former Syrian army general to Damascus for war crimes trial

Lebanese authorities extradited former Syrian Maj. Gen. Adel Issa to Damascus on Wednesday, marking the first such transfer since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. Issa, a former commander of the Syrian army’s 17th Division and later ground forces in Deir ez-Zur province, faces charges including intentional homicide, torture leading to death, and inciting civil war and sectarian strife, according to Syria’s Interior Ministry .

Issa was detained on Aug. 8 after visiting the Syrian Embassy in Beirut for administrative procedures. Embassy officials alerted Lebanese prosecutors that he was wanted in Syria, leading to his arrest. Lebanese investigators questioned him before approving his extradition on Tuesday, in line with a 1951 bilateral agreement on handing over suspected criminals .

Syria’s Interior Ministry confirmed Issa’s transfer in a statement, noting that a Damascus referral judge will hear his case before it may proceed to a criminal court. The ministry also published a photo of Issa in a prison uniform . Issa, 67, has denied the allegations, according to two people familiar with his arrest cited by Reuters .

The extradition follows months of pressure from Damascus on Lebanon to act against former Assad regime officials who fled to Lebanon after the regime’s collapse. In January, Syrian authorities provided Lebanese security officials with a list of over 200 former senior officers wanted for alleged crimes .

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former rebel leader, has led efforts to hold senior members of Assad’s regime accountable. Last week, a Syrian court sentenced Assad and his younger brother Maher to death in absentia for crimes including murder, arbitrary detention, and torture. Their maternal cousin, Brig. Gen. Atef Najib, was sentenced to death in custody . The Assad brothers fled to Russia during an 11-day rebellion in late 2024.

Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday at the head of a high-level delegation, marking the first visit by a Syrian top diplomat to Pakistan in 19 years .