Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Lebanese authorities have detained a relative of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad and the son of a suspected drug trafficker in northeast Lebanon on charges linked to weapons and drugs, according to judicial officials and the army.
Suleiman Assad, a relative of the former Syrian president, and Ali Zeiter were held on Friday near Baalbek. The arrests come as several Syrian officials and members of the Assad family have left Syria after the Assad family’s five-decade rule ended in December 2024, when Islamist rebels seized power.
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Two judicial officials said Suleiman Assad and Ali Zeiter, the son of Noah Zeiter, were detained near the northeastern city of Baalbek. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Suleiman Assad is the son of Hilal Assad, a cousin of Bashar Assad.
The Lebanese army said in a statement that it had detained three people, including a Syrian citizen who did not have documents proving he was staying legally in Lebanon. It said the men were carrying weapons and hashish, which is processed from cannabis and is widely cultivated in northeast Lebanon.
The army did not name those detained, but said the initials of their first and family names matched those of Assad and Zeiter. It added that they were questioned under the supervision of judicial officials.
The arrest of Suleiman Assad comes weeks after Lebanon handed over to Syrian authorities a retired major general who had commanded a division in Bashar Assad’s army. Bashar Assad and his younger brother, Maher, have been living in Russia.
The detentions near Baalbek have again drawn attention to the presence of Syrian figures in Lebanon after the fall of the Assad family rule, with Lebanese authorities saying those arrested were found with weapons and drugs and are being investigated under judicial supervision.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
