France issues arrest warrant for Syria's Bashar al-Assad

France has issued an international arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accused of President over chemical attacks in 2013, a judicial source and plaintiffs in the case said on November 15.

The judicial source told Agence France-Presse that Assad was also suspected of complicity in war crimes for the attacks, blamed by the opposition on the regime, that killed more than 1,400 people near Damascus in August 2013, Le Monde reports.

International warrants were also issued for the arrests of Assad's brother Maher, the de-facto chief of a Syrian elite military unit, and two armed forces generals. France claims worldwide jurisdiction for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The probe was sparked by a legal complaint filed by the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) and the Syrian Archive.

The Paris court's unit concerned with crimes against humanity has been investigating the chemical attacks since 2021.

Reporters from Le Monde were present in Damascus during these chemical attacks in 2013, and gave first-hand accounts of the Assad government's use of these weapons and brought back samples.