Arrest of Bashar al-Assad's Cousin in Lebanon Raid; Damascus Demands His Surrender!

According to sources from "Al Arabiya/Al Hadath," on Friday, Lebanese security agencies conducted a raid on one of the drug warehouses in the Bekaa region, resulting in the arrest of several individuals, including Suleiman Halal al-Assad, cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The sources added that the Syrian side has requested Lebanon to surrender Suleiman Halal al-Assad, citing accusations of his involvement in killings inside Syria, as well as drug smuggling from Syrian territory.

The arrest of Suleiman al-Assad comes at a time when Beirut and Damascus have reopened the file of pursuing and extraditing figures linked to Bashar al-Assad’s regime who fled to Lebanon after the fall of the regime in December 2024.

Lebanese authorities previously handed over former Colonel Adel Ayyash to Syria in August, marking the first publicly announced transfer of a high-ranking officer from the Assad era since the regime’s collapse, while Damascus continues demanding the pursuit and extradition of fugitives accused of crimes committed during the years of war.

Syrian authorities also managed to arrest Wissam al-Assad in June, with the Syrian Ministry of Interior announcing that he was apprehended in the Tel Khlakh area near the Syrian-Lebanese border.

In terms of bilateral relations, Damascus and Beirut have worked to rebuild their ties after decades of Syrian dominance over Lebanese affairs, during which the former regime was accused of assassinating several prominent Lebanese political figures opposed to its influence. Since the arrival of the new authorities in Damascus, officials from both countries have held multiple meetings and agreed to cooperate in areas such as judiciary and security.