A former Syrian intelligence officer who was close to one of the ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad’s top army commanders was killed in Lebanon, a judicial official says, with the army announcing it has arrested a suspect.
It was the first confirmation since Assad’s ouster in December last year of a former Syrian government official being present in Lebanon, though many in Syria believe Assad-era figures are hiding in the neighboring country.
The judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells AFP that the body of Ghassan al-Sukhni was found near the house where he was staying in the Kesrwan area, north of Beirut.
Lebanon’s army announced in a statement on X that it had arrested the alleged perpetrator, who it said killed Sukhni “following a financial dispute.”
The judicial official says Sukhni “sought refuge in Lebanon after the fall of the Assad regime” and was a former Syrian intelligence officer closely associated with Suhail al-Hassan.
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Tuesday, December 23, 2025
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