Syria arrests former General over wartime offensives

• Syrian authorities arrested former Republican Guard commander Maj. Gen. Ahmed Mohammad Ismail over wartime assaults on opposition areas.
• Ismail led military assaults in Aleppo, Daraa, and Eastern Ghouta as operations chief of the 101st Airborne Regiment.
• The detention is part of ongoing judicial actions by Syria's new government against former regime officials.

Syrian internal security forces announced Saturday the arrest of former Major General Ahmed Mohammad Ismail, a top-ranking Republican Guard commander under deposed President Bashar al-Assad, for directing military operations against opposition-held territories during the nation's 13-year war.

In an official statement, the Internal Security Forces confirmed that Ismail was taken into custody as part of an ongoing campaign to hold former regime officials accountable.

According to military service records, Ismail began his career as a platoon leader and later commanded a company within the 2nd Battalion of the 101st Airborne Regiment.

Promoted in early 2016 to chief of operations for the same regiment, he directly participated in and led military offensives targeting the cities of Aleppo, Daraa, and Eastern Ghouta.

Historical chemical attack

The suburban region of Eastern Ghouta, located near Damascus, served as a primary opposition stronghold until 2018.

The area was the site of a major chemical weapons attack five years prior to its fall.

According to US intelligence estimates, more than 1,000 people were killed by Sarin gas in Eastern Ghouta in 2013 during the Syrian war.

While the attack was attributed to the military under Assad—who was ousted from power in December 2024—the previous government denied involvement and blamed opposition armed factions.

New government expands trials of former military 

Since the fall of Assad, Syria's new authorities have detained dozens of former security officials, initiating judicial trials against them in April.

Earlier this month, authorities announced the detention of nine former military pilots, including three brigadier generals, charged with participating in deadly bombing campaigns against Syrian cities and towns during Assad's tenure.

In August, a Syrian court issued death sentences in absentia against Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher, and five other security officials following their conviction for war crimes.

The former president fled Syria as his administration collapsed and is believed to reside in Russia.