Syria says Assad-era general arrested over wartime assaults

Syrian authorities said on Saturday, September 19, that they had arrested former Major General Ahmed Mohammad Ismail, a former Republican Guard commander under ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

Security forces described Ismail as a high-ranking commander in the former regime’s army. They said military records showed he served in the 101st Airborne Regiment and was promoted in early 2016 to chief of operations of the same regiment.

The security forces said Ismail directly helped command military assaults on Aleppo, Daraa and Eastern Ghouta during Syria’s 13-year civil war.

Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, was a rebel stronghold until 2018. It was also the site of a 2013 chemical attack that US intelligence says killed more than 1,000 people with sarin nerve gas. The attack was attributed to the Syrian government under Assad, which denied involvement and blamed rebels.

Since Assad was overthrown in December 2024, Syria’s new Islamist authorities have arrested dozens of former security officials, and trials began in April. Earlier in September, Syrian authorities said they had arrested nine former pilots, including three generals, accused of taking part in lethal bombings under Assad’s rule.

Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and five other security officials to death in absentia in August for atrocities committed during the civil war. Assad fled Syria as his government fell and is believed to be living in Russia.