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Lebanon has once again found itself at the center of a sensitive international investigation tied to the post-Assad era. One year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, Beirut is being asked to cooperate with international judicial authorities to locate senior Syrian security officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to judicial sources quoted by This is Beirut, French authorities submitted an international letter of request on Monday to Judge Jamal Hajjar, Lebanon’s prosecutor general at the Court of Cassation. The request seeks Lebanon’s assistance in identifying, arresting, and extraditing three high-ranking Syrian intelligence figures believed to have taken refuge in Lebanon shortly after the regime’s collapse.
These officials include General Jamil Hassan, who served as head of Syrian Air Force Intelligence from 2009 to 2019; General Ali Mamlouk, former Director of National Security; and General Abdel Salam Mahmoud, who led investigations within Air Force Intelligence.
In response, Hajjar has tasked Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) to verify the presence of the three men in Lebanon and to monitor border activity. The French also provided Lebanese phone numbers, believed to be used in regular contact with the suspects, which are now undergoing technical analysis by Lebanese investigators.
This renewed cooperation highlights Lebanon’s complex role in regional justice efforts and the broader international push to hold former Syrian officials accountable.
Syrian Intelligence Officials Already Targeted by International Justice
Lebanese authorities have previously been alerted about the three Syrian officials now under renewed scrutiny. In December 2024, Beirut received an Interpol Red Notice for Hassan, wanted by the United States for war crimes and torture. Just months earlier, in May, the Paris Criminal Court sentenced him in absentia to life imprisonment for complicity in crimes against humanity, in the case of Mazen and Patrick Abdelkader Dabbagh, a Franco-Syrian father and son who died under torture in Syrian detention in 2013.
Although no official record confirms Hassan’s entry into Lebanon, multiple sources suggest he may be hiding there under the protection of regime allies.
Mamlouk is also believed to have fled Damascus immediately after the regime’s collapse. According to a Lebanese security source cited by This is Beirut, he crossed into Lebanon before continuing on to Iraq. His passage, according to the source, was facilitated by Hezbollah members in exchange for large sums of money.
While these allegations remain unconfirmed, they reportedly triggered internal investigations and led to the suspension of several Lebanese officers suspected of negligence or passive complicity.
In response to mounting concerns, Lebanon’s General Security and ISF reinforced border controls at key crossing points, including Masnaa and Jdeidet Yabous, to prevent infiltration by former Syrian officials and their associates. Yet security officials acknowledge that illegal crossings remain possible, particularly in border zones under Hezbollah’s influence, where state authority is limited.
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