📰 France and Syria urge Lebanon to hand over  former intelligence chief al-Hassan

QAMISHLI, syria (North Press) – Lebanese diplomatic and security/" class="auto-internal-link">security circles have been on alert in latest days following reports alleging the presence of former syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian Air Force Intelligence chief Jamil al-Hassan inside Lebanon, prompting both France and Syria to submit simultaneous formal requests to Beirut for his extradition. The Wall Street Journal declared that Paris and damascus intensified their pressure on Lebanese authorities after information surfaced suggesting that al-Hassan, who fled following the collapse of the Assad administration, may have crossed into Lebanon along with other former Syrian security figures seeking to reactivate their networks. A French official stated that Paris’ request is based on a previous ruling issued by a French court that convicted al-Hassan in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity. as per the official, the conviction provides the legal grounds for France to insist on his arrest should he be found on Lebanese soil. On the Syrian side, an official request was also filed as part of the emerging administration’s stated efforts to pursue key figures accused of human rights violations during the era of Bashar al-Assad, singling out al-Hassan as one of the most prominent figures sought for prosecution.

However, a senior Lebanese judicial source informed North Press that authorities in Beirut have received “no official information confirming the entry or presence of Jamil al-Hassan in the country,” adding that “none of the competent agencies has received any notification proving he is inside Lebanon. ” Al-Hassan, born in 1953 near the border town of al-Qusair, is considered one of the most influential security figures within the former Syrian security apparatus. He joined the army at a young age and climbed the ranks during the rule of Hafez al-Assad. In 1982, he took part as a junior officer in the government’s armed forces campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood uprising in Hama. After Bashar al-Assad assumed power in 2000, al-Hassan’s authority expanded significantly within the security hierarchy, particularly as the Air Force Intelligence Directorate—established by Hafez al-Assad to safeguard the government from internal threats—became one of the country’s most powerful security institutions.

The U. S. Department of the Treasury has previously noted the directorate’s involvement in sensitive files, including aspects of Syria’s chemical program. In 2009, al-Hassan was appointed head of Air Force Intelligence, a position that later placed him at the center of international and domestic pursuit efforts.

Lebanese authorities have not indicated when or whether they will issue…