Lebanon Detains Former Syrian General During Embassy Visit

A former Syrian general was taken into custody in Beirut after a routine visit to the Syrian embassy, judicial and security officials said on Tuesday. The man, identified as Major‑General Khaled Al‑Hassan, was arrested by Lebanese police in a cell at the Beirut Central District police station. Sources indicated that his detention followed a brief interrogation that revealed he had been on a list of individuals wanted for alleged war crimes during the Syrian civil war.

Al‑Hassan, who served as the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division in the early 2010s, is accused by the Syrian opposition of ordering indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas in 2014. The United Nations Human Rights Council and several human rights NGOs have called for his prosecution, and the U.S. Department of Justice has listed him as a person of interest in a pending indictment. Lebanese authorities said the arrest was part of a broader effort to cooperate with international bodies on cases of alleged war crimes.

The arrest is expected to prompt further legal proceedings in Lebanon and may lead to extradition requests from countries seeking to prosecute Al‑Hassan. Lebanese officials have said that the case will be forwarded to the relevant judicial bodies for review, and they remain open to cooperating with international investigators as the investigation continues.