Attempts to Prevent the Handover of Assad's Cousin to Damascus... What Are the Details?

A lawyer close to the Alawite Islamic Council has been tasked with following up on the case of detained Syrian Suleiman Halal al-Assad, amid efforts by a member of the Assad family residing in the UAE to prevent his handover to Damascus by circumventing the law and inflating the size of the judicial file to keep him detained in Lebanon for as long as possible.

It should be noted that the detainee, who is the cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was apprehended by Lebanese authorities on September 12, 2026, by the Directorate of General Security along with others in Baalbek on charges of possessing and using narcotics, carrying military weapons, and illegal residence.

Syrian authorities had formally requested extradition to pursue him over cases involving murder, rape, and drug trafficking.