{
  "id": 1709826,
  "title": "Lebanon is handing over an Assad-era general after war crimes questioning",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/lebanon-is-handing-over-an-assad-era-general-after-war-crimes",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T12:46:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/08/18/lebanon-is-handing-over-an-assad-era-general-after-war-crimes-questioning"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Beirut (AP) — Lebanon’s judicial authorities have announced plans to transfer a former senior Syrian military officer, Maj. Gen. Adel Issa, to Damascus following questioning regarding alleged war crimes committed during Syria’s conflict. This marks the first time Lebanon has handed over a military officer since the ousting of President Bashar Assad in late 2024. Issa is anticipated to face trial in his home country. Details about the alleged crimes remain undisclosed. The decision aligns with a 1951 agreement between Syria and Lebanon, mandating the return of suspected criminals. Lebanon's General Security Directorate apprehended Issa on Tuesday afternoon and will transport him to a border crossing for transfer to Syrian authorities. The officials spoke anonymously, adhering to protocol. Following the ousting of Assad in December 2024, numerous military and security officers, including those accused of atrocities, have fled to Lebanon. Dozens of former members of Assad's security agency have been arrested and are now on trial in Syria. Syrian court proceedings sentenced Assad and his younger brother Maher to death in absentia, while Brig. Gen. Atef Najib, a maternal cousin of Assad, became the highest-ranking official to receive a death sentence while detained. Assad brothers fled to Russia post the ousting. Issa was questioned last week by Judge Ahmad Rami Hajj, Lebanon’s public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, concerning alleged crimes committed in Syria's eastern Deir el-Zour and northern Raqqa provinces during the conflict that began in 2011. Issa, denying all charges, claimed he was merely following orders. Lebanon's charge sheet was sent to Syrian authorities by the Syrian embassy in Beirut earlier this month. Issa was detained on August 8th while visiting the Syrian embassy in Beirut for documentation purposes. Following notification from the Syrian embassy, Lebanese judicial authorities initiated the arrest. Issa has been held at Beirut's Palace of Justice detention center since then. Once a top commander of the Syrian army's 17th Division in Deir el-Zour, bordering Iraq, Issa retired in late 2016. The Syria-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, noted that Issa was reassigned to Deir el-Zour in 2015 and retired in 2016. The Syria conflict, triggered by anti-government protests in March 2011, escalated into a civil war, resulting in half a million deaths and over a million wounded.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Lebanon to transfer Maj. Gen. Adel Issa to Damascus",
    "Issa faces war crimes questioning in Syria",
    "Lebanon follows 1951 agreement on returning suspected criminals"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}