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Arrests across Syria
Syrian authorities carried out a series of security operations across the country that resulted in the arrest of 10 former members of the Bashar Assad regime, with the Syrian Arab News Agency reporting detentions in Daraa, Aleppo and Idlib provinces over the past two days.
The Interior Ministry said the campaign targeted former officials accused of crimes and abuses committed under Assad’s rule, and a ministry source quoted by SANA said those arrested include a former commander of the First Corps and a former guard at the Saydnaya prison accused of violations against detainees.
In Latakia, Internal Security Forces detained Osama Mahmoud Hamouda, a former non-commissioned officer accused of participating in abuses against civilians during the rule of Assad, after an extensive surveillance and monitoring operation, according to Brig. Gen. Abdul Aziz Hilal Al-Ahmad.
Attorney General Hassan Al-Turba told SANA on Wednesday that prosecuting major criminals through Syria’s courts was essential to achieving transitional justice, and he said the Ministry of Justice was working with the Interior Ministry, the National Commission for Transitional Justice and the National Commission for Missing Persons.
Al-Turba added that authorities introduced measures to prevent suspects from fleeing the country, including arrest warrants in absentia and efforts to pursue fugitives through Interpol, international agreements and diplomatic channels.
Officials name detainees
On Friday, Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khatib announced the arrest of two senior officials from the former regime, saying in a post on X that Major General Wasel Al-Awid and Major Ibrahim Mahla have fallen into the hands of the security services.
The Interior Ministry also announced on Friday that Internal Security Forces in Homs arrested Omar Ahmed Al-Matar, described as a captain and head of the raids department in both the State Security Branch and the Khatib Branch in the city of Homs, without disclosing further details about the circumstances of the arrest.
In Latakia, SANA reported that the Ministry of Interior carried out two simultaneous operations in the village of Dweir Baabda, in the outskirts of Jableh, during which it arrested war criminals involved in the bloodshed of Syrians.
The ministry said among the criminals was General Amr al-Hassan, former commander of field operations within the State Security branch in Latakia Governorate, responsible for repressing peaceful demonstrations in the city and for the Battle of al-Haffa in March 2012.
SANA also said the operations led to the neutralization of Yamen Aref Chahine, who resisted special forces and refused to surrender, injuring a member of the special forces who was wounded and who subsequently died of his injuries.
Massacre links and next steps
In Idlib, Al-Jazeera Net reported that the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of a former major general, Rafiq Ahmad Kalthoum, and two participants in the Jabal al-Doula massacre in Idlib Governorate that led to the killing and injuring of around 100 people in 2020.
“DAMASCUS: The Syrian Arabic Republic’s security forces have arrested 10 former members of the Bashar Assad regime in a series of operations across the country”
The statement carried by SANA said interior security forces "managed to arrest the former major general in the regime’s defeated forces, Rafiq Ahmad Kalthoum," and it said the arrest was part of ongoing efforts to pursue those involved in crimes and abuses against the Syrian people.
Al-Jazeera Net said the ministry also announced the arrest of Isa Ghnam and Fadi Ma'ruf, noting that investigations revealed Fadi Ma'ruf, nicknamed Abu Jahl, sent coordinates to Isa Ghnam, who forwarded them to Brig. Gen. Abd al-Rahman Najm, head of the State Security Branch during the era of the deposed regime.
The ministry pointed out that the camp was subjected to direct airstrikes during a meeting of its elements, resulting in more than 100 martyrs and wounded, and it said the detainees were referred to the competent judiciary to complete investigations and take legal measures.
In the same context, Al-Jazeera Net said the ministry announced last Wednesday the arrest of 10 of the regime remnants wanted in separate security operations focused in the provinces of Daraa, Aleppo and Idlib.
