Syrian authorities have arrested several senior officers from Bashar al-Assad's former regime, including his cousin, as part of an ongoing crackdown on suspects accused of atrocities during the country's 14-year-long civil war.
Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba announced the arrests on Monday, saying those detained included senior military and intelligence officials, former air force pilots and individuals suspected of involvement in massacres and attacks on civilians.
Among those arrested was Yahya al-Assad, a cousin of ousted president Bashar al-Assad who held the rank of colonel in Branch 105, a unit of the former regime's security apparatus.
Al-Baba said the detainees also included a major general who had commanded the 24th Division and the Air Defence Directorate, as well as senior officials from the Air Force Intelligence Directorate.
Another suspect was allegedly involved in the Tadamon massacre, one of the most notorious atrocities committed by Assad's forces during the Syrian uprising.
The arrests also included a fighter pilot accused of bombing Syrian cities, a brigadier general from the Political Security Directorate, the head of investigations at Air Force Intelligence and a judge who served in the former regime's Counterterrorism Court.
Other detainees included two brigadier generals from the Republican Guard, a senior officer at Tishreen Military Hospital, a military doctor, a helicopter pilot and another fighter pilot accused of taking part in attacks on civilian areas.
The arrests are part of efforts by Syria's new authorities to pursue former military and security officials suspected of committing abuses during the uprising against Assad, including aerial bombardments, arbitrary detention, torture and massacres.
Former regime pilots targeted
Syrian authorities have stepped up arrests of former air force personnel in recent weeks, targeting officers suspected of involvement in bombing campaigns against opposition-held areas.
In September, the Interior Ministry announced the arrest of nine former regime pilots in Latakia province.
According to the ministry, preliminary investigations indicated that the pilots had participated in combat missions and airstrikes targeting several areas, including Eastern Ghouta, Aleppo and its countryside, Deir ez-Zor and rural Hama.
On 18 September, authorities detained five former air force officers and commanders in Tartous province, including pilots and officials who had held operational and field responsibilities.
Two days later, security forces arrested Brigadier General Zakaria Mohammed Sannoun, who served as head of operations in the 22nd Division between 2012 and 2020.
Authorities accused Sannoun of overseeing operations at the Hama, Tiyas (T4) and Shayrat military airbases during the conflict.
On 28 September, internal security forces arrested Colonel Khaldoun Hussein Mubarak in the Jableh countryside of Latakia province.
He was accused of participating in combat sorties against Syrian areas during the uprising.
The Interior Ministry has described the arrests as part of continuing investigations into former officers and military personnel suspected of war crimes and other violations, with judicial proceedings expected to follow.
Suspect in 2013 massacres arrested
The latest arrests come less than two weeks after Syrian authorities announced the detention of Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural and nicknamed the "Butcher of Baniyas".
Kayali was arrested on 15 October over his alleged role in the 2013 massacres in Baniyas and al-Bayda, in the Tartous countryside.
Syrian authorities accuse him of responsibility for the killings, which took place during the early years of the uprising against Assad.
The successive arrests mark a widening effort to track down former regime figures accused of involvement in atrocities committed during the conflict.
Authorities have said investigations will continue and that suspects will face further judicial proceedings over their alleged roles in abuses against Syrians.