Syria arrests former intel chief accused of hundreds of assassinations during Hafez Assad rule

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) – Syria’s security forces arrested on Thursday a former intelligence chief accused of carrying out hundreds of assassinations under former regime leader Hafez Assad, the Syrian news agency SANA said.

“After precise monitoring and investigation, our forces in the city of Jableh successfully arrested General Ibrahim Huweija, the former head of Syria’s General Intelligence, who is accused of hundreds of assassinations during the rule of Hafez al-Assad, including overseeing the assassination of Kamal Beik Jumblatt,” the agency reported on X, citing a security source.

Jumblatt was a prominent Lebanese politician and Druze leader, known for founding the Progressive Socialist Party and advocating for democracy and Arab nationalism.

He was assassinated in 1977, with widespread accusations pointing to Syrian intelligence under Hafez al-Assad.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, military authorities have opened reconciliation centers for former regime loyalists to surrender their weapons. However, some factions have refused to comply, leading to clashes in multiple provinces.