The Syrian authorities announced on Thursday night the arrest of nine former officers pilots, including three generals, accused of participating in deadly bombings against Syrian localities during the former Bashar al-Assad regime, overthrown at the end of 2024.
© Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
11/09/2026
by
Lusa
Aover thirteen years of civil war, which made over half a million dead, syrian forces bombed heavily rebel-controlled zones.
After a series of operations in Latakia (west), the Homeland Security Forces detained nine former officers pilots of military planes and helicopters “involved in war crimes against the Syrian people (...) in several regions”, the official news agency Sana indicated, citing the authorities.
Among these are generals Menhel Anwar Saleh, Sami Ibrahim Mahmoud and Ghayath Ali Rehyé.
“ Their crimes have left a large number of victims (...) and have caused significant damage in cities and villages, as well as causing the displacement of residents and the destruction of houses and civil infrastructure”, also according to Sana.
Since they took power, the new Syrian authorities have been holding former members of the deposed regime.
On Monday, they announced the arrest of a former general, the target of European sanctions, accused of being involved in the bloody repression of the 2011 protests and the Hama massacre in 1982.
In August, Syrian justice sentenced Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia, and his brother Maher, to death.
In addition, the former president is the target of three arrest warrants issued by French justice for complicity in crimes against humanity and/or war crimes, such as lethal chemical attacks in 2013, the bombing of a civilian residential area in Deraa in 2017 and the bombing of a press centre in Homs in 2012.