A sweeping round of senior security appointments announced Sunday by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa amounts to a fundamental restructuring of the country’s security apparatus, driven by both domestic security concerns and mounting political and economic pressure from abroad, according to Syrian security and strategic affairs analyst Ismat al-Absi.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, al-Absi said the appointments reflect a clear effort to consolidate security authority in the hands of al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab by placing both Public Security, including policing and internal security, and National Security under a single command.
The move effectively ends the institutional divide and potential rivalry between the Interior Ministry and the intelligence services, making Khattab the sole authority overseeing both strategic and operational security decision-making, al-Absi said.
Hussein al-Salama will assume an executive role reporting directly to Khattab on national security affairs, while the General Intelligence Directorate will be headed by Abdul Qader Tahan within the unified structure.
Al-Absi said the appointments also mark a broader institutional overhaul, noting that the changes are intended to bring the transitional phase to a close by establishing a unified centralized security structure after concerns over overlapping authorities among agencies with different backgrounds, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
According to al-Absi, the immediate catalysts were recent security pressures, including bombings in Damascus and the interception of weapons allegedly being smuggled from Iraq to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
He said the attacks and the foiled smuggling operations exposed gaps in interagency coordination, border security, and urban surveillance.
The Damascus bombings occurred during French President Emmanuel Macron’s July 6-7 visit - the first by a major Western head of state since al-Sharaa took office in late 2024 - when two explosive devices detonated a few hundred meters from the Four Seasons Hotel, where Macron was staying.
Syrian authorities later announced the arrest of the cell responsible, with preliminary investigations indicating it was affiliated with ISIS.
Economic researcher Firas Shaabo said the security restructuring is also intended to create a safe and stable environment for investment.
He explained that unifying the country’s top security leadership would reduce institutional fragmentation and strengthen coordination, making the changes an integral part of Syria’s broader economic vision.
Given the National Security Office broad oversight powers, the restructuring could reinforce stability, remove obstacles to development and reconstruction, attract foreign investment, stimulate the domestic economy, and reassure the international community and regional partners of the state’s ability to maintain internal stability, he added.
