Bashar al-Assad's Uncle Travels to Dubai Despite War Crimes Allegations

Two security officials in Lebanon confirmed that many members of the Assad family, including Rifaat Assad, the uncle of the ousted Syrian president, have traveled from Beirut to Dubai, while others remain in Lebanon. According to Lebanese officials, several members of Rifaat Assad's family were arrested on Friday, December 28, while attempting to travel from Beirut airport with expired and tampered passports. Bassam Mawlawi, Lebanon's interior minister, stated that some Syrian officials have illegally entered Lebanon and are being pursued. He emphasized that his country will cooperate with Interpol to arrest Jamil Hassan, the former head of Syrian intelligence, who is accused of war crimes. Rifaat Assad, now in his 80s, is the brother of Hafez Assad, the former president of Syria, who suppressed the Muslim Brotherhood uprising in Hama in 1982, an operation that resulted in over 10,000 deaths. The Swiss Attorney General recently announced that a case has been opened against Rifaat Assad for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Swiss judicial authorities also indicated that due to Rifaat Assad's poor health, they might halt his prosecution. On the other hand, Lebanese officials stated that they have not received any official request from Interpol for the arrest of Rifaat Assad or other members of the Assad family. After an unsuccessful attempt to seize power from his brother Hafez Assad, Rifaat was exiled and lived in Switzerland, Spain, and France. A court in France found him guilty in 2020 of using Syrian state assets to purchase properties, but he returned to Syria in 2021.