Lebanon extradites former Syrian General Adel Issa to Syria for prosecution of civil war crimes.
Lebanon has officially handed over Major General Adel Issa to Syria, marking the first extradition of a former general from the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime. The 67-year-old general was detained in Lebanon on August 8 after visiting the Syrian embassy in Beirut. He faces a number of charges including murder, torture leading to death, and crimes of aggression allegedly committed during the Syrian civil war. Syria's interior ministry stated that Issa led ground forces in the Deir Ezzor province until 2016. The handover follows pressure from the new Syrian authorities, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, to prosecute former military officials who fled to Lebanon. The decision was based on an agreement between the two countries dating back to 1951. Issa's case will now move to a referral judge in Damascus to determine if it will proceed to a criminal court. This move follows a series of sentences handed down by the new government, including death sentences for Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher.