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Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
They vanished in Syria's long occupation of Lebanon. Now their families want answers.
President Bashar Assad of Syria had just been toppled by a lightning rebel offensive. In the chaos, a news crew filming outside a Syrian prison captured the image of an older man, disheveled and dazed, emerging from its gates. The family froze. They were sure it was the missing son, Ali, and their story quickly made headlines. Advertisement But days passed. Then weeks. Ali never returned. Hope faded. Lebanese officials offered no answers. Journalists stopped calling. Months later, the search grinds on. 'We need to continue my mother's mission,' said Ali's brother Moammar, clutching an old photograph of him in the family's home in northern Lebanon. 'We still have hope he is alive.' After the collapse of the Assad government, prison doors across the country flew open, and Syrians flooded in to search for traces of their friends and loved ones who had disappeared in untold numbers under the brutal regime. In Lebanon, however, many could only watch and wait. Thousands of Lebanese had gone missing during Syria's decades-long occupation of their country, which lasted from 1976 to 2005, and many were believed to be imprisoned in Syria. For years, the tentacles of Assad's security state extended well beyond Syria's borders, ensnaring not only political opponents, but also ordinary civilians caught up in its machinery of suspicion. Dissidents, laborers, businesspeople — anyone could vanish. Advertisement The disappearances became a hallmark of Syria's rule, sometimes aided by pro-Syrian Lebanese factions, with men and women taken from their homes or snatched off streets. Behind the checkpoints, Damascus' secret police, known as the mukhabarat, ran detention sites across Lebanon — Beirut's luxury Beau Rivage Hotel became shorthand for torture — and routinely transported suspects across the border to prisons like Sednaya. When Assad was toppled, Lebanese officials estimated that more than 700 of their citizens were still imprisoned in Syria, but some advocacy groups say there are far more unaccounted for. So far, only nine have returned, many after languishing in prison for decades. Among them was Suheil Hamawi, who was taken from his home more than three decades ago. Standing on his balcony overlooking the Mediterranean, Hamawi, 61, took a drag from his cigarette and gazed at the crystal clear waters below. It was a lot to take in: He had not seen the sea in 33 years. 'These scenes — you can only repeat them in your mind, and in your dreams,' Hamawi said. 'I feel like I can breathe again.' A member of a Lebanese Christian political party opposed to the Syrian occupation, Hamawi was abducted from his family home in 1992 by Syrian intelligence officers and taken across the border. His capture was so abrupt that for the first 17 years, his wife believed he had simply vanished. His son, Georges, was only 10 months old at the time. When Hamawi returned home, Georges was 33 and had a son of his own. Advertisement Hamawi spent the days and weeks after his release sipping cups of cardamom-infused coffee and video-calling relatives, many of their faces now unrecognizable to him. 'Do you remember my children?' said a cousin over the phone, sitting alongside her adult daughter. 'When I left her, she was so small,' Hamawi said in disbelief. Former Lebanese prisoners interviewed by The New York Times described brutal treatment and torture, which they said was often more severe on account of their nationality. Families of those missing said they had received no help from Lebanese authorities while Assad was in power, and had often been forced to spend thousands of dollars on bribes to Syrian security forces to get a sign of life from their relatives or win their release. Bounced around the Assad regime's network of prisons, Hamawi was first detained in Palestine Branch in Damascus, and later in the notorious Sednaya. He spent the first five years in solitary confinement in a cell about 30 inches wide and 6 1/2 feet high. He described it as 'a tomb with a door.' 'There was no light at all,' he said. 'We used to recognize day from night by the sound of birds, or from the type of food they used to give us.' In Sednaya, Hamawi grew close with his cellmates. They had been stripped of their names and given numbers — his was 55 — but that did not stop them from forging quiet bonds. Most did not live to see the fall of the Assad regime, he said. Advertisement One Syrian friend, a journalist, disappeared after being told by guards that he had a visitor, only for Hamawi to find out 10 years later that he had been executed. Another close friend, Fahed, a fellow Lebanese, refused treatment after becoming seriously ill, preferring to die than endure another day. 'He was stronger than me,' Hamawi said. 'He accepted death, and I couldn't.' In recent months, Syria's new rulers established a commission to investigate the fates of those who disappeared as part of a broader push for transitional justice. In Lebanon, where Syria's shadow still looms, families of the missing have been fighting a parallel battle for decades, pressing for accountability and answers. But the Assad regime wielded outsize influence over Lebanon, refusing to shed light on the fate of the vanished, and Lebanese officials were often unable — or unwilling — to press the issue. For Abir Abou Zeki, whose father was among the disappeared, it has been a lifelong fight. It was June 12, 1987, when her father, Khalil, walked into her bedroom in a home just south of Beirut and planted a soft kiss on her cheek for the last time. The family of five was set to begin new lives in Germany. Their passports were ready. So were their plane tickets. But Khalil had to make one last business trip into Syria to collect spare truck parts for the company he worked for. When days went by and he did not return in time for their flight, panic set in. They eventually learned he had been arrested because he had a coffee tin containing American dollars, a criminal offense under the Assad regime. Advertisement Then he disappeared. In the months that followed, their family fell apart. Abou Zeki's mother, Dalal, walked out, unable to cope with the stress of raising three children alone. Their dreams of a new life had been shattered almost overnight. For years, members of Lebanon's Druze community, a close-knit religious minority to which the family belongs, rallied around the family. Relatives and local officials made repeated appeals to Syrian authorities. 'The only answer was: 'Yes, he is in our prisons. Consider him ours and don't ask about him anymore,'' Abou Zeki said. Years later, the message hardened: 'Consider him dead,' she recalled. When Assad was toppled in December, Abou Zeki, like so many others, allowed herself a flicker of hope — though it came tangled with guilt and fear. 'I think it's selfish of me to say that I want him to be alive after all that torture,' she said. 'But we suffered a lot. We used to feel guilty if we were eating or drinking -- because he wasn't able to. We felt warm while he was cold.' 'I think it's easier to know that he died,' she said quietly. Others are hoping wholeheartedly. In the Ali family's crumbling home in northern Lebanon, Moammar clutched the portrait of his brother Ali, taken when he was still a young man. As their mother once did, he was saving up for a trip across the border, hoping to find answers. From the window, Syria was visible in the distance. Somewhere out there, they still believed, Ali is alive, waiting to be found. 'A mother's feeling is never wrong,' Moammar said. This article originally appeared in Advertisement
Asharq Al-Awsat
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Hamas Comes Under Pressure in Lebanon
Relations between Hamas and the Lebanese state have entered a critical phase not seen since the country's civil war era. In a rare and direct move, Lebanon's Supreme Defense Council on Friday named Hamas in an official warning, cautioning the group against using Lebanese territories to conduct activities that threaten national security. The warning follows rocket attacks in March, allegedly launched by Hamas operatives toward Israel from southern Lebanon, and signals a turning point in Beirut's handling of the longstanding issue of Palestinian arms. The issue is expected to dominate discussions during the upcoming visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Beirut on May 21. Lebanese authorities are reportedly preparing to demand that Hamas hand over individuals implicated in the rocket attacks. Hamas officials in Lebanon declined to comment immediately, but sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that an official statement from the group is forthcoming. Last month, the Lebanese army said it had identified those responsible for the March 22 and 28 rocket launches, revealing a cell composed of Lebanese and Palestinian nationals. Subsequent raids led to several arrests and the seizure of equipment used in the attacks. Security sources later confirmed the detention of three Hamas members - two Palestinians and one Lebanese. Analysts and insiders believe Hamas now finds itself increasingly isolated in Lebanon. According to Palestinian political analyst Hisham Debassy, the group has little choice but to comply with Lebanese demands, including potentially disarming. 'The Defense Council's position marks a serious and strategic shift,' said Debassy. 'It sends a strong political message not just to Hamas but to any non-state actor operating militarily on Lebanese soil.' Debassy described Hamas as being at a crossroads. 'Either it cooperates with Lebanese authorities by handing over wanted individuals and signaling respect for state sovereignty, or it continues down a path of confrontation, an option that carries significant political and security costs.' He noted that Hamas currently lacks the internal cohesion and public support to take a defiant stance. Internal divisions have grown between factions aligned with Iran and others favoring political reintegration within the broader Muslim Brotherhood framework. Political analyst Dr. Qassem Qassir said Hamas' leadership, based largely in Qatar, remains mindful of Lebanon's fragile security. 'Hamas doesn't want to endanger Lebanon,' he said, adding that the group is likely to act cautiously given the broader regional context. Meanwhile, Abbas' visit is seen as an opportunity to reshape Palestinian-Lebanese relations and advance state authority in Palestinian camps. Lebanese officials are seeking a roadmap, backed by the Palestinian Authority, that could lead to the phased dismantling of weapons in refugee camps, following similar efforts targeting pro-Syrian Palestinian factions in the Bekaa and Naameh regions. Hamas' presence in Lebanon had traditionally been limited to social and political activities. But its military footprint began to emerge after a 2022 explosion in the Burj al-Shemali camp. Since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, Hamas's armed wing has become more active in southern Lebanon, coordinating with Hezbollah in launching attacks on Israel, further complicating its position with Lebanese authorities.
Los Angeles Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Israeli military strikes near Syria's presidential palace after warning over sectarian attacks
DAMASCUS, Syria — Israel's air force struck near Syria's presidential palace early Friday after warning Syrian authorities not to march toward villages inhabited by members of a minority sect in southern Syria. The strike came after days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and fighters who belong to the Druze minority sect near the capital, Damascus. The clashes left dozens of people dead or wounded. Late Friday, intense Israeli airstrikes were reported in different parts of Damascus and its suburbs as well as the southern and central Syria, Syrian media outlets said. Associated Press journalists in Damascus said the airstrikes lasted for more than one hour until after midnight. It was not immediately clear if the Israeli airstrikes late Friday inflicted any casualties. Syria's presidency condemned the Israeli airstrike, calling it a 'dangerous escalation against state institutions and the sovereignty of the state.' It called on the international community to stand by Syria, saying that such attacks 'target Syria national security and the unity of the Syrian people.' Friday's strike was Israel's second on Syria this week, and attacking an area close to the presidential palace appears to send a strong warning to Syria's new leadership that is mostly made up of Islamist groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. On Thursday, Syria's Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri harshly criticized Syria's government for what he called an 'unjustified genocidal attack' on the minority community. Early Friday, the Druze religious leadership said that the community is part of Syria and refuses to break away from the country, adding that the role of the state should be activated in the southern province of Sweida and authorities should be in control of the Sweida-Damascus highway. 'We confirm our commitment to a country that includes all Syrians, a nation that is free of strife,' the statement said. The Israeli army said that fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the Palace of President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus. Its statement gave no further details. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the strike was 'a clear message' to Syrian leaders. 'We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,' the joint statement said. Alsayed and Mednick write for the Associated Press. Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Bassem Mroue from Beirut.
Reuters
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Guinea-Bissau PM's adviser arrested in Spain on drug charges, police say
BARCELONA, May 2 (Reuters) - Spanish police have arrested a special adviser to the prime minister of Guinea-Bissau, on the island of Tenerife in an investigation into suspected corruption and drug trafficking involving police officers, authorities said on Friday. Following Wednesday's arrest, a court in Tenerife ordered that Lebanon-born Mohamed Jamil Derbah, who is a Tenerife resident, be remanded in jail without bail as the suspected leader of a crime ring, while others were released. "Nine people were arrested on Wednesday in an operation by police internal affairs. Two were retired police officers and one is serving," a Spanish National Police spokesperson said on Friday. Guinea Bissau's prime minister, Rui Duarte de Barros, appointed Derbah as his special aide and a permanent member of the International Relations and Trade Commission in 2024. The prime minister's office did not respond to requests for comment. Derbah could not be reached for comment. In 2001, Reuters reported of Derbah's arrest by Spanish authorities for alleged involvement in a fraud ring in the Canary Islands which may have had links to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the pro-Syrian Shi'ite Amal movement. There were no reports later of his conviction. Authorities said then that the ring was involved in timeshare fraud which affected several British and German citizens. The police also said that Derbah began his alleged criminal activities under the guidance of John Palmer, a British multi-millionaire who was sentenced to eight years in prison by a London court in 2001 for timeshare fraud and who was killed in 2015.
San Francisco Chronicle
02-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Israeli military strikes near Syria's presidential palace after warning over sectarian attacks
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Israel's air force struck near Syria's presidential palace early Friday after warning Syrian authorities not to march toward villages inhabited by members of a minority sect in southern Syria. The strike came after days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and fighters who belong to the Druze minority sect near the capital, Damascus. The clashes left dozens of people dead or wounded. Syria's presidency condemned the Israeli airstrike, calling it a 'dangerous escalation against state institutions and the soveignty of the state.' It called on the international community to stand by Syria, saying that such attacks 'target Syria national security and the unity of the Syrian people.' Friday's strike was Israel's second on Syria this week, and attacking an area close to the presidential palace appears to send a strong warning to Syria's new leadership that is mostly made up of Islamist groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. On Thursday, Syria's Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri harshly criticized Syria's government for what he called an 'unjustified genocidal attack' on the minority community. Early Friday, the Druze religious leadership said that the community is part of Syria and refuses to break away from the country, adding that the role of the state should be activated in the southern province of Sweida and authorities should be in control of the Sweida-Damascus highway. 'We confirm our commitment to a country that includes all Syrians, a nation that is free of strife,' the statement said. In the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, where fighting occurred earlier this week, security forces deployed inside the area along with local Druze gunmen, and at a later stage heavy weapons will be handed over to authorities. As part of the deal, forces from the defense ministry will deploy around Jaramana without going inside. Israeli fighter jets strike near the palace The Israeli army said that fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the Palace of President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus. Its statement gave no further details. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the strike was 'a clear message' to Syrian leaders. 'We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community," the joint statement said. Pro-government Syrian media outlets said that the strike hit close to the People's Palace on a hill overlooking the city. Over the past two days, the Israeli military said that it had evacuated Syrian Druze who were wounded in the fighting. The Israeli army said in a statement Friday that a soldier was killed and three were slightly injured in an accident in the Golan Heights. An army statement added that the soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital and that the circumstances of the incident were being investigated. Clashes set off by disputed audio clip The clashes broke out around midnight Monday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticizing Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The audio was attributed to a Druze cleric. But cleric Marwan Kiwan said in a video posted on social media that he was not responsible for the audio, which angered many Sunni Muslims. Syria's Information Ministry said that 11 members of the country's security forces were killed in two separate attacks, while Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 99 people — over the past four days of which 51 were killed in Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana — were killed in clashes, among them local gunmen and security forces. The Druze religious sect is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria, largely in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981.
