Syria Detains Five Ex-Air Force Officers Over Wartime Airstrikes
Syrian security forces arrested five former air force officers accused of involvement in airstrikes on civilians during Bashar al-Assad's rule, authorities reported on September 18, 2026. Al Jazeera
The announcement came from Col. Abdul Aal Mohammad Abdul Aal, head of the Internal Security Forces in Tartous province. He said the arrests followed a series of operations conducted with the Counter Terrorism Directorate. A report carried by SANA the same day described the detainees as five senior Air Force commanders from the deposed regime detained in Tartous. SANA
The men were named as Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Fajr Ali, Brig.-Gen. pilot Abdullah Ali Mualla, Col. pilot Nidal Hussein Saleh, Col. Mohammad Ali Salim and Lt.-Col. pilot Talib Abdul Karim Hassan.
Authorities said the group included pilots, field commanders and officers who served in operations rooms, the staff centers where air missions are planned and orders are issued. Investigations are continuing before the cases are referred for trial, meaning formally sent to prosecutors and a court.
The detentions follow other air-power cases this month. Syrian authorities said they arrested nine former pilots, including three generals, accused of lethal bombings under al-Assad's rule. The Interior Ministry announced that arrest on September 14, 2026. In a separate case, the Interior Ministry announced the arrest of Jayez al-Moussa, the former Assad-era air force chief of staff. Asharq Al-Awsat
Assad was overthrown in December 2024. He fled Syria when his government fell and is believed to be living in Russia. In August, Syria sentenced Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and five other security officials to death in absentia, a legal term for conviction without the defendant present, for atrocities during the civil war.
The broader context here is the method of accountability taking shape. Damascus is taking custody of mid-level and senior operators while the most senior defendants remain outside reach and face in absentia proceedings. For specialists in command responsibility, the legal idea that commanders answer for orders given to those below them, the mix of operations-room staff and pilots will be closely watched. It suggests investigators are trying to document chains of authorization, not only individual flights.
Looking at what this means for the next phase, the test is procedural. A referral for trial will need evidence linking specific officers to specific strikes, preservation of operational records, and a court able to handle complex air-operations testimony. The stated coordination role of the Counter Terrorism Directorate and the Tartous Internal Security Forces also raises questions about jurisdiction, detention standards and how agencies manage cases together. Outcomes in these cases will shape whether the current sequence leads to sustained prosecutions or stalls at the arrest and announcement stage.
