India, Aug. 9 -- Lebanese authorities detained a former senior Syrian military officer who commanded an army division under ousted President Bashar Assad and might hand him over to Damascus on alleged crimes that he committed, Lebanese judicial and security officials said on Saturday.

After the fall of Assad's Government in December 2024, when Syrian insurgent groups captured his seat of power in Damascus, a number of military and security officers fled to neighbouring Lebanon, where some still remain.

If Major General Adel Issa is sent to his home country, it will be the first time Beirut has handed back an Assad-era official.

Since the ouster, dozens of members of Assad's security agencies blamed for atrocities have been arrested and...