A relative of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the son of a notorious drug dealer have been arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of illegal possession of weapons and drugs, the Associated Press reported, citing Lebanese military and judicial sources.
Suleiman Assad and Ali Zeiter, the son of suspected drug trafficker Nouha Zeiter, were arrested Friday near the northeastern Lebanese city of Baalbek. According to two judicial sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, the men were together. Suleiman Assad is the son of Hilal Assad, a cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Lebanese army reported the arrest of three people, including a Syrian national who failed to provide documents confirming the legality of his stay in the country. According to the military, weapons and hashish were found in the detainees. The army did not release names, but the initials in its statement matched those of Suleiman Assad and Ali Zeiter. The detainees were questioned under the supervision of judicial officials.
The Assad family ruled Syria for nearly five decades. In December 2024, Bashar Assad's regime was overthrown after Islamist rebels seized power. Since then, a number of Syrian officials and relatives of the former president have fled to other countries, including Lebanon. Bashar Assad himself and his younger brother Maher are in Russia.
Suleiman Assad's arrest comes weeks after Lebanon handed over to Syrian authorities a former major general who had commanded a division in Bashar Assad's army.
