Lebanese security forces say they have broken up a network operating between Lebanon and Syria that included former Assad regime officials and was connected to Hezbollah.
The operation comes as Damascus has formally requested the extradition of over 200 senior officers who fled Syria and entered Lebanon, according to lists delivered during official talks between the two governments.
The Syrian government submitted its first list in January 2026 through a delegation led by Brigadier Abdul Rahman al-Dabaagh, who met with Lebanese intelligence chief Brigadier Tony Kahwaji and General Hassan Shukair, head of the Lebanese General Security. That list named more than 200 senior Assad-era officers and requested they be identified and located.
A second list followed in May 2026, containing more than 100 officers confirmed to have entered Lebanon through irregular border crossings. Syria requested their tracking and closure of the file through a judicial agreement between the two countries.
The Syrian government has begun taking action through individual arrest warrants. Retired General Adel Issa was arrested inside the Syrian embassy in Beirut and formally handed over in August 2026, marking the first extradition of a senior Assad-era military official.
A specialized Syrian security team operates from the Syrian embassy in Beirut to track remaining officials, according to reports, working within the framework of agreements between the two states.
Extradition efforts face legal and political obstacles rooted in international law, which prohibits transfers where torture or execution risks exist. The process is governed by a 1951 judicial cooperation treaty between Lebanon and Syria, supplemented by an agreement signed in early 2026 on sentence enforcement and prisoner transfers.
The case of General Issa proceeded under the 1951 treaty based on Syrian arrest warrants, with extradition required when the alleged crime constitutes a felony or misdemeanor punishable by at least one year imprisonment under the requesting state's law, or when the person has been sentenced to at least two months imprisonment.
Sources indicated Syria is relying on the judicial framework to extradite those proven to pose threats to Syrian security and stability.
Despite the complications limiting security cooperation between the two governments, sources close to Lebanese authorities said the country's priority remains maintaining stability in both nations.
