Lebanon on Wednesday extradited a former Syrian military officer who served under ousted President Bashar Assad, and he will face trial in Syria, the Interior Ministry said.

Maj Gen Adel Issa is the first Syrian military officer to be handed over by Lebanon since Assad was ousted in late 2024.

Lebanon’s judicial authorities decided on Tuesday to hand Issa over to Syria after questioning him over crimes he allegedly committed during the country’s conflict.

Syria’s Interior Ministry had requested his extradition over alleged crimes including the intentional killing of more than two people, torture resulting in death, and acts of aggression aimed at inciting civil war and sectarian strife.

The ministry said Issa commanded the Syrian army’s 17th Division and served as commander of ground forces in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour until 2016. It also released a photo of Issa wearing a prison uniform.

Officials in Beirut said on Tuesday that Issa was handed over to Syria under a 1951 agreement between the two countries that provides for the extradition of suspected criminals to face justice.

After Syrian fighters opposed to Assad entered Damascus and ended the Assad family’s five-decade rule in December 2024, a number of military and security officers fled to Lebanon, where some remain.

Dozens of former members of Assad’s security agencies accused of atrocities have since been arrested and put on trial in Syria.

Last week, a Syrian court sentenced Assad and his younger brother Maher to death in absentia, while their maternal cousin, Brig Gen Atef Najib, became the most senior security official to be sentenced to death while in custody. The Assad brothers fled to Russia following their ouster.

Issa was detained on August 8 after going to the Syrian Embassy in Beirut for paperwork. Embassy officials then contacted Lebanon’s prosecutor’s office and informed them that Issa was wanted in Syria.

Officials said Issa had fled to Lebanon by crossing the border illegally after Assad’s fall.

Syria’s conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011 before escalating into a civil war that killed about 500,000 people and left more than 1 million wounded.