A Hezbollah fighter holds an assault rifle in the air in the southern suburbs of Beirut after the cease-fire, on Nov. 27, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L’Orient-Le Jour)
He had just left al-Rassoul al-Aazam Hospital in Beirut to return to his home in Mansourieh, in the Metn region. It was there that Mihrac Ural, also known as “Ali Kayali” — a former officer in a pro-Assad militia accused of being primarily responsible for the 2013 Banias massacre — was reportedly abducted before being transferred to Syria.Wanted by both Syria and Turkey, Ural was a particularly high-profile target for Ankara because of his alleged involvement in numerous security and terrorist operations against Turkey. Syrian officials said Damascus had requested his handover some time earlier. Zoom out Amid regional instability, Lebanon faces the test of four voids In March 2025, when deadly violence swept Syria’s coastal region, Ural had appealed to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees for protection in an effort to avoid...
He had just left al-Rassoul al-Aazam Hospital in Beirut to return to his home in Mansourieh, in the Metn region. It was there that Mihrac Ural, also known as “Ali Kayali” — a former officer in a pro-Assad militia accused of being primarily responsible for the 2013 Banias massacre — was reportedly abducted before being transferred to Syria.Wanted by both Syria and Turkey, Ural was a particularly high-profile target for Ankara because of his alleged involvement in numerous security and terrorist operations against Turkey. Syrian officials said Damascus had requested his handover some time earlier. Zoom out Amid regional instability, Lebanon faces the test of four voids In March 2025, when deadly violence swept Syria’s coastal region, Ural had appealed to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees for protection in an effort to...
