National Security Bureau of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region
| مكتب الأمن الوطني | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 27 March 1966 |
| Dissolved | 8 December 2024 |
| Jurisdiction | General Secretary of the Central Command of the Syrian Regional Branch |
| Headquarters | Damascus, Syria |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent agency | Central Command of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party |
| Child agency | |
The National Security Bureau (Arabic: مكتب الأمن الوطني), officially the National Security Bureau of the Central Command of the Syrian Regional Branch (Arabic: مكتب الأمن الوطني لحزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي – قطر سوريا), was a Ba'ath Party bureau which coordinated the work of Syria's intelligence agencies and advised the General Secretary prior to the 2024 fall of the Assad regime. The current head of the National Security Bureau is Kifah Moulhem.[1]
In the past, individual intelligence agencies had a significant degree of independence and generally reported directly to the president.[2] Since 2023, the Bureau has been conducting a set of restructuring measures in the security services, including merging some branches. The main goal of the changes is to amend the powers of intelligence services, remove them from some state institutions and develop coordination among the agencies.[3]
Directors
[edit]- Abdul-Karim al-Jundi (27 March 1966 – 2 March 1969)[4][5]
- Naji Jamil (November 1970 – March 1978)[5]
- Ahmad Diyab (1979–1987)
- Abdul Rauf al-Kasm (1987 – 17 June 2000)
- Mohammed Saeed Bekheitan (21 June 2000 – 6 June 2005)
- Hisham Ikhtiyar (9 June 2005 – 18 July 2012)
- Ali Mamlouk (25 July 2012 – 9 July 2019)
- Mohammed Dib Zaitoun (9 July 2019 – 18 January 2024)[6]
- Kifah Moulhem (18 January 2024 – 8 December 2024)
Syrian intelligence agencies
[edit]- General Intelligence Directorate (Internal Branch - 251)
- Political Security Directorate
- Military Intelligence Directorate
- Air Force Intelligence Directorate
References
[edit]- ^ Ibrahim Hamidi (24 January 2024). "Is al-Assad about to have his very own 'Sadat Moment'?". Al Majalla. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Bashar al-Assad's inner circle". BBC News. 12 August 2012.
- ^ "President al-Assad chairs a meeting for commanders of security apparatus in the army and armed forces".
- ^ Kahana, Ephraim; Suwaed, Muhammad (2009). The A to Z of Middle Eastern Intelligence. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810871571.
- ^ a b Andrew Rathmell (1 November 1996). "Syria's Intelligence Services: Origins and Development". Journal of Conflict Studies. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ Paul Khalifeh (17 July 2019). "Syria war: Why did Assad restructure the military-security apparatus?". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 30 December 2023.