Lebanon to extradite Syrian ex-general Adel Issa, official says

Lebanon's public prosecutor has decided to extradite former Syrian General Adel Issa to Syria to face accusations over crimes allegedly committed during Bashar al-Assad's rule, a Lebanese judicial official said Tuesday.

The official, who requested anonymity, said Issa is detained in Lebanon and will be sent to Syrian authorities to stand trial over accusations of killing and crimes against humanity on Syrian territory.

The official said the decision was made under a 1951 judicial agreement between Beirut and Damascus and was based on legal requirements, documents and a case file received from Syrian authorities. The official said the file contains evidence indicating Issa committed crimes in Syria, and that prosecution falls under Syrian jurisdiction.

Issa, 67, was a former general in the Syrian army's 17th brigade under Assad. Another judicial official previously said Issa went to the Syrian embassy in Beirut this month for paperwork, and embassy staff alerted Lebanese authorities after learning of an arrest warrant from Damascus filed in absentia.

The official said Issa will be transferred to Lebanon's General Security before being taken to the Syrian border and handed over to a Syrian security committee.

Since Assad's fall in December 2024, Syrian authorities have arrested dozens of people they say committed crimes during the country's 13-year civil war, and trials began in April. Lebanon and Syria have said they want a new chapter in relations since Assad's ouster and the weakening of Hezbollah, a key Assad ally.