Syria creates Capital Security Service to protect Damascus — Asharq Al-Awsat
Syria has created a Capital Security Service, tasked with strengthening security in Damascus, detecting sleeper cells and preventing attempts to destabilize the city. Brigadier General Abdel Aziz Hilal al-Ahmad was appointed head of the new body, Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing a senior Syrian military official.
Appointment of the head
According to the publication's source, the new structure is to apply a more targeted approach to the security of the capital and identify cells that could threaten Damascus. The official said he does not consider the city to be under an immediate threat, but spoke of the activity of sabotage cells linked to external forces.
The same official accused Israel and Iran of seeking to destabilize Syria by supporting local sabotage groups in several provinces. He also stressed that Damascus hosts foreign embassies, diplomatic missions, offices of international institutions and UN agencies. In his view, a security breach in the capital could undermine the authority and trust in the state.
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Work in Latakia
Al-Ahmad previously headed internal security in the Latakia province. After taking office on May 25, 2025, he led operations against armed groups and former military and security personnel linked to Bashar al-Assad's regime. No official decree on his new appointment was published, but sources in security and military structures confirmed it to several media outlets, including Asharq Al-Awsat.
On Saturday, Syria's Interior Ministry appointed Brigadier General Naif al-Ibrahim as al-Ahmad's successor in Latakia. Experts interviewed by the publication link the creation of the new service to a broader reorganization of security agencies following the removal of the previous regime. In their assessment, the service is intended to strengthen surveillance and intelligence capabilities to identify supporters of the former authorities, cells of the Islamic State group and Iran-linked structures.
