Syria says Assad-era militia associate killed himself

Syrian authorities said Thursday that security forces foiled an escape attempt by Alaa Zahreddine, described as a key associate of an Assad-era general and militia figure.

Security forces in the Damascus countryside said Zahreddine was a close associate of Ghiath Dalla, a former leader of the Shield of the Homeland Brigade militia. They accused Zahreddine of being implicated in crimes against civilians.

Authorities said Zahreddine's identity was confirmed during a stop at a security checkpoint. They said he drew his weapon and shot himself to avoid capture. A companion in the vehicle was arrested, they said.

Syrian authorities had previously said the brigade was linked to Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in 2024.

The operation came days after security forces said they killed an Assad-era army commander in a firefight while trying to arrest him on the Alawite-majority Syrian coast. Authorities said both men were linked to Dalla.

Dalla, a former officer in the Fourth Brigade, announced on social media last year the formation of a “military council for the liberation of Syria”. The announcement came shortly before deadly violence targeting the Alawite minority erupted on the Syrian coast in March 2025.

Authorities accused armed Assad supporters of sparking that violence by attacking security forces. A national commission of inquiry said at least 1,426 members of the minority were killed, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the toll at more than 1,700.