Political moves to calm tension in southern Lebanon and various security and judicial issues

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri curbed the campaigns launched by his ally, Hezbollah, against Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Sources close to him revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Berri pushed for a truce between Salam and a large part of the southerners.

This was reflected in Salam’s visit to Nabatieh, last Friday, and was confirmed in his television statements, on Sunday evening, on the NBN television channel affiliated with the “Amal Movement” led by Berri, in which he affirmed the government’s position on the Israeli withdrawal from the south, and its commitment to restoring the state and activating its institutions in the region.

The peace meetings on Monday showed signs of a rapid move to reactivate the state’s presence in the south. He visited Salam Barre, and the meeting discussed the general situation and political and field developments.

A number of topics related to addressing the pressing social and economic conditions were also discussed, according to the Presidency of Parliament in a statement. The results of Salam’s visits to the United States of America, the tour he made to the city of Nabatieh, and the projects he launched were also discussed.

At his residence in the Government Palace, Salam received the President of the Southern Council, Hashem Haider, and discussed with him the conditions of the Council and the progress of its work. Salam's recent visit to the city of Nabatieh was also evaluated. Haider informed Salam of the projects that the Southern Council is working to implement, especially those that were announced during the visit, and the steps taken to implement them.

Salam's visit on Friday to Nabatieh was the third to the south in 3 months, and it seemed remarkable that it was coordinated, as popular activities participated in it. He was received by Amal Movement representative Hani Qubaisi, along with Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, who hails from Nabatieh, and Interior Minister Ahmed Al-Hajjar. It was also noteworthy that mayors affiliated with Hezbollah in the villages of Nabatieh participated in receiving him.

Despite the absence of Hezbollah's political representatives from receiving Salam, no position was issued by the party against the visit or against Salam himself, unlike previous times, which indicates a truce pushed by Berri.

Sources accompanying the visit said that the tour and meetings in Nabatieh “restored a large part of the relationship between Salam and the people of the region,” noting that the absence of party representative Mohamed Raad (the party’s representative in Nabatieh) “is due to the fact that he is not present at social events for his own security reasons,” pointing out at the same time that “Nabatieh municipalities affiliated with the party participated in the reception, while the objection situation seemed marginal.”

In an additional indication of calm on the part of Hezbollah, a member of the party’s parliamentary bloc, MP Hassan Fadlallah, said on Monday: “We are in favor of strengthening the role of the state in the south, and even though it bears all its responsibilities, but that begins with expelling the occupation, stopping the aggression, and stopping this bulldozing and destruction of our villages,” demanding that “words be coupled with deeds.”

He added: “We support every endeavor and every development initiative by state institutions in the South,” calling for the disbursement of a World Bank loan worth $250 million, part of which goes back to the South, and for the government to increase its spending for the South in the 2027 budget.

Unlike Hezbollah, which attacked the Prime Minister over the past months, communication has not ceased between Salam and Berri, who is pushing towards activating state institutions in the south, establishing stability and a ceasefire, securing the return of southerners to their villages, and providing services that strengthen their steadfastness, despite Berri’s positions opposing direct negotiations with Israel, and his earlier obituary for the “Framework Agreement.”

Sources in the “Amal Movement” told Asharq Al-Awsat that Berri is consistent with himself and his demands for the presence of the state and its institutions in the south, noting that Salam’s visit “confirmed the direction of the executive authority to activate this presence, and it is natural for the representatives of the Amal Movement and the (Development and Liberation) bloc to meet it halfway,” noting that the Prime Minister pledged to activate government and official institutions despite the pressing economic situation that he acknowledged.

The sources said that Salam’s visit “balamed the wounds of southerners.” It seemed that the Prime Minister came to Nabatieh to console the people of the south, and to open the door to activating the state’s presence, which helps in the people’s steadfastness, and this is the weakest of faith,” stopping at Salam’s frankness that the capabilities are weak, and reconstruction needs international support because the Lebanese state is incapable of carrying out the task on its own, and has no capacity to carry it out.

Salam said on Sunday evening, in a television interview with the “NBN” channel affiliated with the “Amal Movement”: “The state cannot remain in a state of waiting. We must go to the south and to all regions, and bear our responsibilities.” He renewed his position calling for “the Israeli attacks must stop, the ceasefire must be established, Israel must withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories, and we must work to release the prisoners.”

He added: “When I return for the fourth time to Nabatieh and to Tyre, I want to make sure with the naked eye that the water has returned, the electricity has returned, and that the obligations we have issued are actually being implemented, the schools are being restored, and our people are returning and feeling safe.” He continued: “If I wanted to criticize a specific environment, I would not personally follow these operations every day and respond to the demands.”

Salam said: “The dialogue between me and everyone is not cut off. There are things we agreed on, and what is required today is to implement them. National unity is embodied in implementing what we agreed upon. We don't need to start from scratch every time. What is required is that each party adhere to what it pledged.” He addressed “our people in the south” by saying: “You are not alone. The state is with you, by your side, and at your service. This is what we tried to confirm from Nabatieh, through the presence of our security services, institutions and services.”

The Syrian Internal Security Forces arrested Jamal Trabelsi, the deputy of Ali Kayali, known as “Miraj Ural,” the leader of the so-called “Syrian Resistance” militia, which committed horrific massacres against Syrians, most notably the Baniyas massacre in 2013.

The security forces said, in a statement published on their official accounts, that the Counter-Terrorism Department arrested “the criminal Jamal Trabelsi, the deputy of the criminal Ali Kayali, known as Miraj Ural.”

The statement was attached to a picture of a Tripoli gathering in Kayali, whose name was linked to the leadership of the so-called “Syrian Resistance” militia, which participated alongside the forces of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in military operations against civilians during the years of the Syrian war. Reports also indicate his involvement in the Al-Bayda massacre in the Syrian city of Baniyas in 2013, with which he gained the nickname “The Butcher of Baniyas.”

Trabelsi participated alongside the militia in combat operations in support of the forces of the ousted regime, including the “Bayda and Baniyas massacre” in 2013, according to the security statement, which added that Trabelsi also participated in battles in the countryside of Hama, Idlib, and Aleppo.

The statement did not mention details revealing the circumstances of Trabelsi's arrest.

The village of Al-Bayda was subjected to a large-scale military operation, which resulted - according to human rights reports and survivor testimonies - in the killing of 264 civilians, according to documentation by the Syrian Network for Human Rights, including women and children, under conditions described as extremely cruel.

These reports, according to SANA, indicate that there have been home invasions and field killings, in addition to significant property damage.

An intelligence source confirmed to the Syrian News Agency last January that Ali Kayali (Miraj Ural), whom the Syrians call “the Butcher of Baniyas,” had arrived in the city of Tabqa in Raqqa Governorate. The source indicated that Ali Kayali arrived with a group of remnants of the former regime to the city, as part of their participation alongside the “SDF” forces (which were later dissolved) in the fight against the Syrian Arab Army.

It is noteworthy that Türkiye accused Meraj Ural of responsibility for the double terrorist bombing that occurred in the city of Reyhanli, Hatay Province, southern Türkiye, in 2013, which resulted in the death of 52 citizens.

In another matter, the Internal Security Forces arrested Munif Kharsa, after it was proven that he impersonated an employee responsible for membership applications in the Ministry of Interior, and exploited this position to defraud a number of citizens.

Internal Security explained, through its official contacts, on Monday, that the detainee deceived a number of people of his ability to secure jobs and facilitate the procedures for their affiliation with the ministry, in exchange for illegally obtaining sums of money and material benefits.

The security units were able to recover most of the sums of money received by the detainee in preparation for returning them to their owners, while legal procedures continue against him to refer him to the competent judiciary.

The Ministry of Interior confirmed that submitting applications to join the Ministry is completely free, and is done exclusively through the official centers that were previously announced, stressing that no sums of money will be paid to any person or entity under any name.

The arrest of the Syrian Suleiman Hilal al-Assad in Lebanon went beyond the judicial framework, and his prosecution on charges related to “possession of military weapons, trafficking in them, and drugs,” to the political dimension, and the possibility of extraditing him to his country if the Syrian authorities request his return, which may pose a problem that prevents the implementation of this request, after the issuance of the law abolishing the death penalty in Lebanon, which was put into effect.

About a month after the arrest of Al-Assad, who is the cousin of former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, the case is heading to the interrogation stage before the military judiciary, where the military investigating judge, Wael Al-Hassan, set October 8th as the date for his interrogation with the arrested Ali Nouh Zuaiter, in the case of possession of unlicensed military weapons and trafficking in them.

According to the data of the file, it is expected that the interrogation will be followed by the issuance of two preliminary arrest warrants against them in the weapons case, with the second part of their file being referred to the Public Prosecution in the Bekaa (eastern Lebanon) to prosecute them for the crimes of drug use and drug promotion. Thus, the prosecution takes two judicial paths, depending on the nature of the crimes attributed to the detainees and the authority competent to look into them.

Despite the sensitivity raised by the name of the arrested person and his family connection to the ousted Syrian president, the measures taken so far are still within the framework of prosecuting the crimes attributed to him in Lebanon, according to the expression of a judicial source familiar with the file. However, the case may gain another dimension if the Syrian authorities submit a request to extradite him, supported by data about crimes he is suspected of committing during the Syrian war and before the fall of the regime.

The judicial source explained that the Lebanese Public Prosecution “has not yet received any Syrian correspondence requesting the return of Suleiman al-Assad.” But he does not rule out “the arrival of a file from Damascus in the coming days or weeks, which includes information and evidence regarding actions that may be attributed to him in Syria.”

The source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “any file sent to Lebanon will be subject to study and scrutiny before a decision is taken regarding it,” noting that the Lebanese prosecution “remains independent of the possibility of submitting a Syrian request.”

He said: “If he is convicted by the Lebanese judiciary, the sentence imposed must be carried out before deciding on the issue of his extradition after the end of his sentence.”

The issue of deporting this person from Lebanon after carrying out the sentence imposed on him raises a new legal discussion, even in the absence of a request for extradition, as it is an issue related to the legal status of any foreigner. However, the abolition of the death penalty in Lebanon, and the entry into force of the law, imposed a new reality. According to the judicial source’s assessment, the law “placed new restrictions on dealing with requests for the return of detained foreigners.” He explained that “the nature of the crime for which the Syrian authorities may prosecute Assad, and the penalty prescribed for it, will be essential in evaluating any request,” stressing that his extradition “becomes legally impossible if the crime charged against him requires execution in his country.”

In comparison between Lebanon's extradition of Syrian Major General Adel Issa to his country on August 19, and the file of Suleiman al-Assad, the source attributed the difference in the legal status to the timing of that procedure, pointing out that "the extradition of Issa occurred before the law abolishing the death penalty was published in the Official Gazette and its entry into force," stressing that the Suleiman al-Assad file will remain limited to the criminal framework and the charges against the detainee, while the issue of extradition remains linked to what the Syrian authorities may present. Evidence, and within the legal limits governing Lebanon’s response to it.”