Syrian security forces said Saturday they have arrested Brig. Gen. Abdel Karim Al-Hamada, a close associate of Maher Assad, the brother of ousted regime head Bashar al Assad.
The announcement came from the Deir Ezzor governorate in eastern Syria via its official Telegram channel.
According to the statement, the General Directorate of Public Security in Deir Ezzor detained Al-Hamada, who had served as “director of the settlement file” under the previous regime.
He was also “responsible for coordination between officers of the former regime and leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard”, according to the SANA news agency.
As of 2000 GMT, there has been no official comment from the Iranian side.
Bashar al Assad, Syria’s Baath regime leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime opposition groups took control of Damascus on December 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.
Ahmed Alsharaa, who led the opposition forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period in late January.
