Lebanon: Investigations launched into activities of individuals linked to Assad regime

A wide-ranging investigation has been launched in Lebanon into the activities of individuals linked to the ousted Assad regime, reports on Saturday said.

The investigation commenced following a series of reports and leaks, suggesting the individuals have a strong presence in the country, SyriaTV reported citing Lebanese government sources.

The sources confirmed that security agencies have started the investigation and are examining all the information circulating about the individuals and their activity.

They also added that they would not hesitate to take any legal or security measures against people undermining Syria’s security and would not provide political cover for anyone involved in such actions.

The latest developments come after Lebanese deputy prime minister Tarek Mitri on Friday morning said that reports that supporters of the ousted Assad regime were in Lebanon was a cause for concern.

In a post on X, Mitri called on Lebanese security agencies to investigate the reports and take the necessary measures, adding "the dangers of actions that harm Syria and its security, originating in Lebanon, must be averted".

He also called on Lebanese security agencies to verify the reports and address it appropriately if they turned out to be true.

A Lebanese official stressed that the reports call for the strengthening of cooperation with Syrian authorities, to ensure stability in both countries, SyriaTV reported.

Mitri’s comments come also come amid reports from regional security sources that Iran had been working last month to mobilise members of the Fourth Armoured Division, which was under Maher al-Assad’s supervision and was linked to Tehran.

The sources said that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which has kept dozens of officers from the Fourth Armoured Division and military intelligence in camps on the Iraqi border in the Hermel region of Lebanon and in eastern Syria for the past few months, are now pushing for their return to Syria.

On Thursday, reports in Al-Jazeera revealed recordings and documents from senior officers from the former Assad regime, which indicated their attempts to reorganise.

The documents show that Rami Makhlouf, Bashar al-Assad’s estranged cousin, is at the forefront of the mobilisation efforts, and is overseeing decisions.

The reports also show that several groups of remnants are in spread across cities in Syria, including in Homs, Hama, Latakia, Tartous and Damascus, and that around 20 pilots from Assad’s forces reside in Lebanon.

Some of the supporters of the former regime hold Lebanese citizenship, with one such individual being identified as Mahmoud al-Salman, SyriaTV reported.

Last year, Assad regime remnants also launched an uprising against the current government on the coastal area. Hundreds of members of the government’s security forces were killed and the government responded with violence, with security forces killing hundreds of Alawite civilians.

Israel has launched hundreds of strikes and incursions into Syrian territory since the Assad regime’s fall, taking advantage of the country’s weakness and divisions. It has openly stated its intention to divide Syria on ethnic and sectarian lines.