Authorities in Syria have confirmed the arrest of an Assad-era army general, who was attempting to forge documents in a bid to flee the country, local media said.
Imad Nafouri, a former air force commander at the Al-Seen airbase, was hiding in a residential building in Aleppo prior to his arrest, according to the internal security’s media office in the city.
His arrest, according to the ministry, was the culmination of a surveillance and intelligence-led operation carried out by the security branch in northern Syria.
In a statement, the Ministry of Interior said: "The criminal is considered one of the most prominent officers involved in the bombing of opposition Syrian cities and villages. He held numerous positions, most notably Commander of the 17th Air Brigade."
The 17th Air Brigade was among the most active brigades in brutally bombing civilian areas under opposition control during the Syrian Civil War.
Nafouri also served under the Syrian Army’s 30th Brigade and 20th Air Division, and as Director of Air Operations within the Air Force Command on behalf of Bashar al-Assad. According to Syrian media, he had led a bombardment campaign in 2015 on his hometown of Al-Nabek.
A mugshot of Nafouri was released by the Ministry of Interior, confirming his arrest and saying he will be referred to the judiciary to face prosecution for any alleged crimes.
The ministry stressed that it will be continuing its operations aimed at tracking down and arresting former personnel associated with the Assad regime, whose brutality in the Syrian war killed nearly 500,000 people, and forcibly displaced millions inside and outside the country.
Rebel forces toppled the Assad regime in December 2024 amid a lightning offensive, officially ushering in a new era for the country. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, however, is facing several challenges in post-Assad Syria, amid waves of bloody sectarian violence involving minority communities in March and July, despite pledges to protect them.
Syria also faces frequent Israeli strikes and invasions by Israeli forces, as well as difficulties in fully integrating the region of the northeast controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces back under government control.
Nafouri's arrest comes amid an ongoing Syrian government crackdown on officers and personnel linked to the Assad regime in a bid to try them for crimes committed during the civil war.
US urges Syria sanctions to be amended
Meanwhile, the United States called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to adjust its sanctions on Syria, to help the country triumph in what it described as the "fight against terrorism".
Dorothy Shea, Washington's ambassador to the UN, said the United States is working with Security Council members to review sanctions related to Syria.
"The Syrian government has made a clear commitment to combat al-Qaeda and (ISIS), and both groups are equally clear that they oppose the new government and are threatening to destroy it. Council members should not take those threats lightly," she told a UNSC meeting on Syria.
"The Council can – and must – adjust its sanctions so the Syrian government can prevail in the fight against terrorism, while keeping the most dangerous and unrepentant actors designated," she said.
A number of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) members are under UN sanctions, embargoes and travel bans, including President Ahmed Al-Sharaa.
The offensive, which toppled the Assad regime, was led by HTS, who an incarnation of the Al-Nusra Front - considered to be Al-Qaeda’s official wing in Syria until it severed ties in 2016 and repositioned itself as a national Islamist movement tasked with overthrowing the Assad regime.
In May, Donald Trump’s administration said it would lift sanctions on Syria, as the devastated country tries to rebuild itself and gain more legitimacy on the international stage. The US also removed its designation of HTS as a terror group earlier this month and eased sanctions on Syria.