Lebanese security forces detained Suleiman Hilal al-Assad and several other people near Baalbek Castle in eastern Lebanon on Friday evening, September 11, 2026, after finding hashish in the group’s possession.
Earlier Syrian request for Suleiman al-Assad’s extradition
The detention came amid an earlier Syrian request for his extradition over allegations related to murder and drug trafficking.
Suleiman al-Assad was accompanied by the son of a member of the Zaiter family and other people when they were detained. Lebanese judicial and security procedures are expected to determine the fate of his case and whether he can be extradited to the Syrian authorities.
Judicial coordination between Lebanon and Syria
In recent months, the Lebanese government has received official requests from Damascus to extradite wanted individuals and figures linked to the former Syrian regime who are present on Lebanese territory, as part of security and judicial coordination between the two countries.
Suleiman Hilal al-Assad
Syrian fugitive detained in Lebanon
- March 2014
Father killed in Latakia
Suleiman is the son of Hilal al-Assad, a cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. His father led the National Defence Forces in Latakia province during the years of the Syrian war, before being killed in March 2014 during battles in the northern Latakia countryside.
- August 2015
Colonel Hassan al-Sheikh killed
Suleiman al-Assad’s name emerged in August 2015 after he killed Hassan al-Sheikh, a colonel in the Syrian Air Force, following a dispute over right of way in the city of Latakia.
- January 2016
Twenty-year prison sentence
In January 2016, a criminal court in Latakia sentenced him to 20 years in prison after convicting him of killing al-Sheikh. Later reports said he was released in 2020 after serving about five years in prison.
Protests and Suleiman’s arrest after al-Sheikh’s killing
The incident was followed by protests in areas loyal to the former regime demanding that he be held accountable, before the Syrian authorities at the time announced his arrest and referral to the judiciary.
