This marks the first extradition of a Syrian military official to Damascus since the collapse of the al-Assad government in 2024.
Published On 19 Aug 2026
Lebanon has extradited a former high-ranking Syrian army officer to Damascus to face charges involving murder and torture. This action represents the first such transfer of a Syrian military figure since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad administration in 2024.
The extradited individual is Major-General Adel Issa, a former commander of the Syrian army’s 17th Division who previously directed ground operations in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zur.
Syria’s Ministry of Interior confirmed the handover in a statement issued on Wednesday.
“Today, Syrian authorities received from the Lebanese authorities the former officer in the defunct regime army, Major-General Adel Issa,” the ministry stated.
The ministry further noted that a Syrian arrest warrant has been issued against Issa, citing charges that include intentional homicide, facilitating felonies, multiple counts of killing, torture resulting in death, and crimes intended to incite civil war and sectarian conflict.
The case will be heard by a Damascus referral judge before potentially being moved to a criminal court for trial, the ministry added.
According to Reuters, citing sources close to the arrest and extradition process, the 67-year-old Issa has denied all accusations.
He was detained on August 8 while visiting the Syrian embassy in Beirut to finalize documentation.
Embassy officials notified Lebanese prosecutors that Issa was a wanted man in Syria, leading Lebanese investigators to take him into custody, as reported by Reuters.
This extradition follows months of diplomatic pressure from Damascus, which has called on Lebanon to take action against former government military and security officials who fled to Lebanon following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024.
Syria is currently led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former rebel leader.
In January, Syrian authorities provided Lebanese security forces with a list containing over 200 former senior officers wanted by the state.
Earlier this month, a Damascus court sentenced the exiled Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia on charges including murder, arbitrary detention, and torture. Al-Assad is currently residing in Moscow.