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Family members of Rifaat al-Assad, the uncle of ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, have been arrested in Lebanon amid a broader crackdown on former regime officials following Bashar’s ousting earlier this month.
Some shit you should know before you read: Earlier this month, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown on December 8 in a rapid Islamist-led offensive that culminated in the fall of Damascus, ending his family’s five-decade rule. The operation was spearheaded by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group with roots in Syria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate. HTS, which has appeared to moderate some of its rhetoric, now leads Syria’s transitional authorities and has pledged to protect minorities and ensure justice for victims of Assad-era atrocities. However, concerns linger about its past extremism and whether it can balance sectarian tensions and demands for accountability without fostering instability. Assad fled to Russia with a small entourage, leaving behind key regime figures, including his brother Maher al-Assad, who later fled to Iraq before joining him.
What’s going on now: According to AP citing Lebanese officials, Rasha Khazem, the wife of Duraid Assad, and their daughter Shams were arrested at Beirut airport while attempting to travel to Egypt using forged passports. The two had been smuggled into Lebanon illegally, while Rifaat al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad’s uncle and Duraid’s father, had legally left for Dubai without facing any issues. Rifaat, in his late 80s, is wanted in Switzerland for war crimes connected to the 1982 Hama massacre, but no Interpol request had been issued to Lebanese authorities.
Separately, Lebanese security forces have detained over 20 former officials linked to Assad’s regime, including military intelligence officers and members of the notorious 4th Division, many of whom were arrested while attempting to sell weapons.
More shit: In Syria, authorities under the new Islamist-led government announced the arrested Mohammed Kanjo Hassan, a former military justice official who served under Bashar al-Assad and issued thousands of death sentences during the regime’s brutal crackdown on dissent. Hassan, who previously oversaw Syria’s notorious Saydnaya prison and later became chief of military justice nationwide, was apprehended amid violent clashes in the coastal province of Tartus. His detention marks the highest-profile arrest since Assad’s ousting.
This all comes as Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Julani), has vowed to transform the country into a stable, inclusive, and economically viable state following years of devastating civil war. In a notable shift, Julani has contacted foreign governments, including the United States, for dialogue and potential collaboration. Julani is also actively seeking international investment to reconstruct Syria’s decimated infrastructure.
