HTS vows to pursue top military figures ‘implicated in war crimes’
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the HTS chief who is also known as al-Julani, has issued a statement saying the group will seek “just retribution” for senior military and security officers “implicated in war crimes”.
These include soldiers who have fled the country, he said.
“We will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people,” al-Sharaa said, promising rewards for information on those involved in the abuses.
He added that the offer of an amnesty remained in place for soldiers “who were in compulsory service” and “whose hands are not stained with the blood of the Syrian people”.
Lebanon must not be refuge for Syrian officials, Lebanese party warns
The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) calls on Lebanese state institutions to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for Syrian officials who are responsible for crimes, citing reports that leading figures in Bashar al-Assad’s regime had fled to Lebanon.
“After news of some leaders of the ousted regime in Syria fleeing to Lebanon through legal crossings, or crossing from Lebanon to other countries, the Progressive Socialist Party warns of the danger of turning Lebanon into a safe haven for those responsible for many crimes against Lebanese and Syrians,” the PSP, led by Lebanon’s Jumblatt family, said in a statement.
The statement added that measures must taken so that Lebanon “does not bear legal and political repercussions”.
Lebanon says will deal with ex-Syrian officials according to law
Amid suggestions online about former Syrian officials being in Lebanon, the office of Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has issued a statement seeking to clarify that it would deal with any potential cases based on the law.
The Lebanese government’s policy has consistently adhered to Lebanese and international laws, particularly in the context of Lebanon hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians, it said in the statement.
Mikati is “closely following” the issue and is in contact with top judicial and security officials, his office said.
It added that any cases will be dealt with by “what is required by the laws and regulations in force, under the supervision of the competent judiciary and in a manner that secures the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese and the future of relations with the Syrian people”.
