Syria Reshuffles Security Leadership After Damascus Attacks

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a reshuffle of the country's security and intelligence leadership on Sunday. Interior Minister Anas Khattab was appointed head of the National Security Bureau while retaining his ministerial post. Hussein al-Salamah became deputy head of the bureau, Mulham al-Shantout was named assistant interior minister for security affairs, and Abdul Qader Tahan took over as head of the General Intelligence Service, Al Jazeera reported.

The General Intelligence Service gathers intelligence on domestic and foreign threats and counters espionage and terrorism. Its new chief now reports to Khattab, consolidating oversight of multiple agencies under one official. Al Jazeera reported that Syrian authorities described the changes as efforts to strengthen national security and support reconstruction.

The appointments follow two attacks in Damascus. An explosion on July 2 killed at least 10 people at a cafe near the main judicial complex. On July 7, devices hidden in a rubbish bin and a parked car detonated during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, killing one person and wounding 36.

Syrian authorities arrested members of an ISIL-linked cell they linked to both incidents through security camera footage. Earlier this month, Iraqi customs officers seized a shipment of missiles, rockets and drones concealed in an oil tanker at the border, which they said was bound for Hezbollah. Hezbollah denied the claim.

Macron restored full diplomatic relations with Syria during his visit, the first by a major Western leader since al-Sharaa took power. Days later, President Donald Trump met al-Sharaa at a NATO summit in Turkiye, and Washington announced it would remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.