Lebanon extradites former Assad-era general to Syria in first such transfer

Lebanon has handed over a former general who served in Bashar al-Assad's government to Syrian authorities, in what is the first extradition of its kind since Assad's regime collapsed in December 2024, when rebel forces captured Damascus and Assad fled the country.

Maj Gen Adel Issa, 67, faces numerous alleged crimes committed during Syria's civil war. He was detained on 8 August after going to the Syrian embassy in Beirut to complete some paperwork, and was handed over to Syrian custody on Wednesday.

According to Syria's interior ministry, Issa commanded ground forces in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor until 2016. He faces charges including intentional homicide, facilitating a felony, killing more than two people, and torture leading to death, as well as acts aimed at inciting civil war and sectarian conflict. Judicial officials told the BBC that Issa denied the accusations at the time of his arrest.

The extradition was carried out under a bilateral agreement between Lebanon and Syria dating back to 1951. Issa's case will now be reviewed by a referral judge in Damascus, who will decide whether to send it to a criminal court.

Wider crackdown

The handover comes after Syria's new authorities pressed Lebanon to take action against former security and military officials who fled across the border following Assad's fall. In January, Syria had already submitted a list of more than 200 former senior officers it wants prosecuted to Lebanese officials. Since coming to power, the government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa has pursued legal cases against dozens of former officials.

Earlier this month, a court in Damascus sentenced Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia over civil war-era abuses; both had fled to Moscow after Sharaa's forces took control. Their cousins, Waseem al-Assad and Atif Najib, have also been arrested in Syria and sentenced to death.