An anonymous source wishing to remain unnamed stated that the military “detained three individuals, including Suleiman Hilal al Assad (Suleiman Hilal Asad), the son of the cousin of the ousted Syrian president B. al Assad,” when they were caught using drugs in the eastern Bekaa region.
“Among those detained was also N. Zaiter’s son,” named Ali, added the source, referring to the famous Lebanese drug lord who was captured by the army last year.
The source also noted that “the detained Syrian citizen is a civilian,” not a former officer.
All three detainees were handed over to the Lebanese Ministry of Defense for interrogation.
Syria and Lebanon are trying to turn a new page in their mutual relations after B. al Assad was ousted at the end of 2024 and the influence of his ally in Lebanon, the Islamist group Hezbollah, weakened.
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Earlier this month, Lebanese officials detained a former Syrian intelligence officer and several accomplices who are suspected of planning attacks against the forces of the new Syrian government.
Last month, Beirut handed over to Damascus a former general from the B. al Assad era, accused of crimes including murder and torture.
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