Latakia, Syria – Syrian authorities have announced the arrest of a former Syrian Air Force officer allegedly deeply involved in the notorious barrel bomb campaign during the early years of the Syrian uprising.
According to a statement released by the Interior Ministry on Tuesday, Brigadier General Fayeq Ayoub Mayassa was apprehended in a targeted security operation. The head of Internal Security in Latakia province, Brigadier General Abdul Aziz Al-Ahmad, confirmed that Mayassa was taken into custody in the Al-Haffa region through a joint effort between local security forces and the counter-terrorism unit.
The Interior Ministry’s Telegram channel quoted Al-Ahmad as stating that Mayassa confessed during initial interrogations to being a “member of the military committee that proposed the use of barrel bombs at the beginning of the revolution.” He also reportedly admitted to having been responsible for “identifying a number of locations in various governorates to be targeted with barrel bombs and naval mines.”
Barrel bombs, improvised explosive devices dropped from helicopters, became a symbol of the devastating conflict, causing widespread destruction and civilian casualties. These attacks were often indiscriminate, targeting civilian areas in rebel-held towns and villages.
Al-Ahmad further indicated that Mayassa rose through the ranks to become Chief of Staff of the 63rd Brigade at Taftanaz Military Airport at the start of the Syrian revolution. He was allegedly tasked with identifying target banks in conjunction with the air and ground operations rooms located in the Al-Mastouma camp in the Idlib countryside, which were subsequently targeted by helicopter aviation.
This arrest is described as part of ongoing efforts by the Interior Ministry and other relevant authorities to pursue and hold accountable officials from the former regime implicated in committing crimes and violations against the Syrian people. These efforts are framed as part of a transitional justice process aimed at ensuring the rights of victims and their families.
Syrian authorities periodically announce the arrest of individuals allegedly involved in serious violations against civilians during the previous regime.
