Syrian army generals and security officers fled to Lebanon, sources say

Syria's ambassadors who were in Damascus when the rebels advanced towards the city also crossed into the neighbouring country

Syrians wait with their belongings at the Masnaa border crossing as they prepare to enter Lebanon. EPA

Live updates: Follow the latest on Syria

High-ranking military and security officers and diplomats are among dozens of officials from Syria's collapsing regime who fled to Lebanon as rebels marched towards Damascus, Lebanese security sources have said.

Lebanese officials previously stated that relatives of Syrian officials, including the family of Maher Al Assad, and media figures close to Bashar Al Assad's regime have crossed into Lebanon, but have refrained from commenting on the arrival of senior military and security personnel.

“Dozens of military and security officials, including high-ranking officers and generals, have crossed into Lebanon through legal border crossings,” said a security source familiar with the list of Syrians who crossed into the neighbouring country.

“Syrian ambassadors who were in Damascus when the rebels advanced towards the city also crossed into Lebanon. Additionally, relatives of some of the most senior officials, including the son of one of Bashar Al Assad's top intelligence advisers and the wife of a former foreign minister, were among those who fled,” the source added.

“There were also media advisers and public figures. Some of them were very close to President Al Assad.”

A second security source said that “it all happened so fast, and no one was expecting things to escalate to this point”.

Lebanese politicians have been watching the collapse of the Syrian regime with a sense of anxiety. Syria invaded Lebanon in 1976 during the early years of the Lebanese civil war, maintaining an occupation and exerting substantial military and political influence for nearly 30 years before being forced out in 2005.

The Syrian regime maintained a firm grip on Lebanese affairs, infiltrating almost all facets of life. Top jobs in Lebanon would only go to allies of Damascus, and opponents risked assassination. Many of the Syrian regime officials owned properties in Lebanon.

As the rebels looked set to take over Damascus two weeks ago, Lebanon immediately closed all of its land border crossings with Syria except for a main one that links Beirut with the Syrian capital. But many illegal border crossings, especially in the north, kept running.

Security sources in Beirut told The National on Wednesday that several of the security heads who oversee the border crossings with Syria and had good relations with the Syrian regime “were replaced by others to avoid any complications”.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are estimated to have been killed since 2011, when forces loyal to Bashar Al Assad turned protests against his rule into a full-scale civil war. About 150,000 people remain unaccounted for as a result of the civil war, according to the International Commission on Missing Persons.

Experts have warned that there is an urgent need in Syria to protect evidence and preserve crime scenes, including mass grave sites, to ensure forensic proof and future accountability. Several of Syria's ex-army and security officials could face trial over those crimes.

One of the main Syrian regime officers responsible for Lebanese affairs and relations was Ali Mamlouk, a close confidant of Bashar Al Assad. Last week, Lebanon's caretaker Interior Minister, Bassam Mawlawi, stated that Mr Mamlouk, who is wanted in Lebanon for a 2013 bombing, is not in the country and did not enter through legal border crossings.

A security source with access to border crossing data clarified that some Syrian officials and prominent figures who entered Lebanon have already departed through legal border terminals, including the airport. However, others either remain in Lebanon or have left through illegal channels.

“No one knows who’s still in the country and who has left,” the source said.