French court issues second arrest warrant for Syria's Assad

French investigating magistrates have issued an arrest warrant for former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad over his alleged role in a 2017 bombing that killed a Franco-Syrian civilian. 

The warrant, issued on January 20, names Assad as "commander-in-chief of the armed forces" in connection with a 2017 bombing in Deraa that killed Salah Abou Nabout, a 59-year-old Franco-Syrian and former French teacher, Caliber.Az reports via French media. 

Nabout’s home was reportedly struck by Syrian army helicopters.  

“This case represents the culmination of a long fight for justice, in which I and my family believed from the start,” said Omar Abou Nabout, the victim’s son.  

This is the second French arrest warrant targeting Assad, who fled to Russia after being overthrown by forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in December 2024.  

To recap, the first, issued in November 2023, concerned chemical attacks in 2013 that killed more than 1,000 people.  While prosecutors had appealed the first warrant citing Assad's head of state immunity, his recent ouster has changed his legal status. 

Omar Abou Nabout expressed hope that "a trial will take place and that the perpetrators will be arrested and judged, wherever they are."  Six senior Syrian army officials are also wanted by French authorities in connection with the former teaher’s killing. French authorities also accuse Assad of complicity in crimes against humanity.  

Syria's civil war, which began in 2011 with Assad's crackdown on protesters, has killed more than half a million people and devastated the country's economy. 

The French judicial system has now issued 14 arrest warrants for Syrian officials since investigations began in 2018. 

International efforts for justice continue, with the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking to address abuses committed under Assad’s rule.  

On January 17, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan met Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Syria’s new administration, raising hopes for accountability. 

The Assad regime consistently denied using chemical weapons against civilians during the war.

By Aghakazim Guliyev