Syria arrests nine former Assad-era pilots

Syrian authorities said on September 10 that nine former military pilots, including three generals, had been arrested over accusations that they took part in lethal bombings of towns and villages under Bashar al-Assad's former rule.

State news agency SANA cited authorities as saying the arrests followed operations in Latakia, in western Syria. It said the Internal Security Forces arrested nine former military pilots “involved in war crimes against the Syrian people” in several regions.

SANA named three generals among those arrested as Menhel Anwar Saleh, Sami Ibrahim Mahmoud and Ghayath Ali Rehye.

The agency cited authorities as saying the alleged crimes caused many casualties, damaged towns and villages, displaced residents and destroyed homes and civilian infrastructure.

Since Assad was overthrown in December 2024, Syria's new Islamist authorities have arrested dozens of former security officials. Trials began in April.

Syrian authorities said Monday they had arrested a former general accused of involvement in the repression of protests in 2011 that sparked the civil war, as well as the 1982 Hama massacre. In August, Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and five other security officials to death in absentia for atrocities committed during the civil war. The former president fled Syria as his government fell and is believed to be living in Russia.