Lebanese authorities have arrested a Syrian citizen suspected of sending money to fighters loyal to former Syrian President Bashar Assad, judicial officials said Wednesday.
Ahmad Dunia was detained in recent days in the Byblos region north of Beirut and is being questioned over alleged links to Assad’s maternal cousin, businessman Rami Makhlouf, as well as a former Syrian army general who left the country after Assad’s fall in December 2024, the officials said.
They described Dunia as the “financial arm” of Makhlouf, saying he transferred funds to former Assad loyalists in Syria operating under the command of ousted General Suheil al-Hassan, who is believed to be in Russia.
According to the officials, most of the money was sent to pro-Assad fighters active in Syria’s coastal region, home to many members of the Alawite minority sect to which Assad belongs.
Allegations that Dunia was financing Assad allies were first reported by Qatar-based Al Jazeera. He was later arrested by Lebanese security forces, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
The arrest came about a week after a Syrian security delegation visited Beirut and handed Lebanese officials lists of dozens of former members of Assad’s security agencies. Syrian authorities said those individuals were directing anti-government operations inside Syria from Lebanon. Dunia’s name was among those listed, the officials said.
Since Assad’s fall, Syria has seen repeated clashes between his supporters and the country’s new authorities.
In March last year, violence that began with confrontations between armed groups aligned with Assad and security forces loyal to the new government escalated into sectarian revenge attacks and massacres, killing hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority.
In recent months, thousands of Alawites have held protests against what they describe as discrimination by Syria’s new Islamist rulers.