October 26, 2026
As part of a security operation carried out by the Internal Security Forces in the city of Homs, the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of Yahya al-Assad, the cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad, along with a number of leaders, officers and officials linked to the former regime.
The Syrian Al-Ikhbariya channel reported that the list of those arrested included Major General Muhammad Deeb Afuf, commander of the 24th Division and former director of the Air Defense Department, Muhammad Turki Manoun, former head of the Investigation Department of the Air Force Intelligence Department, and Salem Nawras al-Daghistani, former head of the Investigation Branch of the same administration, in addition to Ghazi Badr Abdul Saleh, head of the Terrorism Court.
The security campaign included a number of high-ranking officers, including Brigadier General Riyad Hamdo Shehadeh from the Political Security Division, Brigadier Ahmed Faisal Al-Mustafa from the Republican Guard, Brigadier Marzouq Mohsen Ali Al-Salama, Brigadier General Doctor Saadallah Girgis Masoud from Tishreen Military Hospital, as well as military doctor Shuaib Fouad Al-Marqadi.
The arrests also included military pilot Munther Ali Muhammad Al-Ali, and helicopter pilots Rajeh Khader Wanous and Ibrahim Yassin Salama, in addition to Alaa Saleh Al-Assad and Kamel Muhammad Sharif, whom Syrian media indicated was involved in the events of the Tadamon massacre.
These developments come as part of a series of security movements aimed at pursuing officials and officers affiliated with the former regime. On September 20, the Internal Security Forces announced the arrest of Military Intelligence Lieutenant Colonel Suleiman Ahmed Hassan, the former head of the Investigation and Legal Affairs Departments in Branch 248.
It is noteworthy that official Syrian reports indicate that the Ministry of Interior’s campaign resulted, as of last June 15, in the arrest of 3,548 people with military ranks linked to the former regime, which reflects the widening scope of the ongoing security prosecutions against former security and military figures.
