The Lebanese army arrested Suleiman Hilal al-Assad, the son of a cousin of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on Friday, September 11, in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa region.

Lebanese authorities arrested three people while they were using drugs in the Beqaa, according to a Lebanese security source who spoke to Agence France-Presse.

The security source, who requested anonymity, said the Lebanese army detained Ali Zaiter, son of Nouh Zaiter, alongside Suleiman al-Assad, as well as a third person whose identity was not disclosed.

The source said the three detainees were transferred to the Lebanese Ministry of Defense headquarters for questioning.

Who Is Suleiman al-Assad?

Suleiman al-Assad is not an unfamiliar figure to Syrians, particularly residents of Latakia governorate. He gained notoriety after being accused of killing Col. Hassan Sheikh, an officer in the former Syrian regime’s army, following a traffic dispute in 2015.

Security forces affiliated with the Assad regime arrested him at the time. He was released from prison in late 2020 after serving five years.

His name was also linked to armed clashes in Qardaha (Latakia, western Syria) in 2022. He later left to Lebanon before announcing that he had returned to Syria. He disappeared from public view after the fall of the former regime.

Suleiman was known for wielding extensive influence in Latakia and for controlling armed militias accused of carrying out robberies, kidnappings, and acts of intimidation.

Suleiman al-Assad is the son of Hilal al-Assad, founder of the National Defense Forces militia in Latakia and a cousin of Bashar al-Assad.

Possible Extradition to Damascus

Suleiman al-Assad’s arrest by Lebanese authorities raises the possibility that he could be extradited to Damascus, following similar cases in the past.

Syrian authorities previously received from Lebanon former Assad regime officer Maj. Gen. Adel Issa, a former commander of the 17th Division and commander of ground forces in Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria) until 2016.

On August 20, the Syrian Ministry of Interior said the handover was carried out at the request of Syria’s public prosecutor because an arrest warrant in absentia had been issued by the Syrian judiciary. Issa was accused of intentional killing, torture resulting in death, and other offenses.

The Lebanese judiciary decided to extradite Issa, a former major general in the now-dissolved Syrian army, to Syria around ten days after his arrest in Lebanon over allegations of murder and crimes against humanity.

The extradition decision was based on the Syrian-Lebanese judicial agreement signed in 1951, after the Lebanese judiciary determined that the legal and judicial requirements for extradition had been met, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.