Lebanon has handed over former Major General Adel Issa, who served under the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad, to Syria. This marks the first extradition of its kind since Assad's government fell in December 2024.
Maj Gen Adel Issa, 67, is accused of a range of crimes allegedly committed during the Syrian civil war. These charges include intentional homicide, facilitating a felony, killing more than two people, torture leading to death, and crimes of aggression aimed at inciting civil war and sectarian fighting. Judicial officials stated that Issa denied the charges during his arrest.
Issa was detained on August 8 after visiting the Syrian embassy in Beirut and was transferred into Syrian custody on Wednesday. The extradition was made under a 1951 agreement between the two countries and follows pressure from Syria's new authorities to act against former officials who fled across the border.
The Syrian interior ministry reported that Issa led ground forces in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor until 2016. His case will now proceed to a referral judge in Damascus, who will determine if it should go to a criminal court.