Abbas Ibrahim (Lebanese officer)
Major General Abbas Ibrahim | |
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عباس إبراهيم | |
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Director General of the Lebanese General Directorate of General Security | |
Assumed office 18 July 2011 | |
Preceded by | Wafiq Jizzini |
Personal details | |
Born | Kawthariyat al-Sayyad, Lebanon | March 2, 1959
Spouse(s) | Ghada Zeineddine |
Children | 3 |
Website | www |
Military service | |
Years of service | 1980–present |
Rank | Major General |
Commands | General Director of General Directorate of General Security 2011–present |
Abbas Ibrahim (Arabic: عباس إبراهيم; born 2 March 1959)[1] is a major general who has been the general director of the General Directorate of General Security since 18 July 2011.[2]
Early life[]
Abbas Ibrahim was born on 2 March 1959. He hails from the town of Kawthariyet al-Sayyad, Sidon District in Southern Lebanon.[3] He has a Bachelor of Science degree in military science and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.[1]
Career[]
At the age of nineteen, he enrolled in military school and graduated three years later with the rank of lieutenant. Throughout the 1980s, he took part in several training courses in the military, culminating in an infantry course in the United States in 1989. This was followed by a computer course in 1996 to stay up to date with the electronic age. He also received advanced security training in the United Kingdom in 1998. In 1989, Ibrahim became the personal bodyguard of Arab League envoy to Lebanon Lakhdar Brahimi. When Jamil Al Sayyed was head of the Presidential Guards Squadron, he then appointed Ibrahim as one of the bodyguards to President Elias Hrawi and remained in that post until 1992 when he was tasked with protecting then newly appointed Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In 1994, when Jamil Al Sayyed was deputy-Director of Army Intelligence, he appointed Ibrahim as head of the counterterrorism and espionage department at the intelligence directorate.[3] Ibrahim, like his predecessors is closely associated with Hezbollah.[2] However, like Speaker Nabih Berri, he enjoys excellent ties with several main parties in Lebanon, as opposed to Hezbollah, which has a limited number of allies and several rivals.[3]
Previous Assignments[]
1982 - 1991: 3rd Infantry Brigade - 4th Infantry Brigade, Education &Training Institute, 1st Airborne Battalion - 10th Airborne Brigade.
1987 - 1988: Head of close protection team of Arab League envoy to Lebanon Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi.
1989 - 1992: Head of close Protection team of late Lebanese President H.E Elias El Hraoui.
1992 - 1993: Head of close protection team of late Prime Minister H.E Rafic EL Hariri after assuming his first Cabinet responsibilities.
1993: Strike Force – G2.
1994 - 1998: Head of Counter Terrorism and Espionage Section – Counter Terrorism
1998 - 2002: Head of Counter Terrorism branch – G2.
2003 - 2005: Head of Commando Regiment.
2005 - 2008: Head of South Lebanon G2 Branch.
2008 - 2011: First assistant to G2 Director.
2011 - Present: Director General of General Security.[1]
Personal life[]
Ibrahim is married to Ghada Zeineddine and they have three children: Mohammed, Ali, and Bilal.[3] He is a Shia as all other general directors have been since 1998. Before then, the position was held by the Maronites until it was taken from them and granted to the Shias by former President Emile Lahoud for the first time since 1943.[2] On 19 October 2020, Ibrahim tested positive for COVID-19 while in the United States. The Wall Street Journal reported that he had met national security adviser Robert C. O'Brien at the White House the week before to discuss American citizens held in Syria. The General Directorate of General Security said in a tweet that he was in good health.[4] On 23 October 2020, he returned to Beirut.[5]
References[]
- ^ a b c Government Biography
- ^ a b c "Cabinet appoints Abbas Ibrahim as Lebanon security chief – Ya Libnan".
- ^ a b c d "Abbas Ibrahim … The Eyes and Ears of the Lebanese State". Asharq AL-awsat.
- ^ Reuters Staff (October 19, 2020). "Lebanese security chief tests positive for COVID-19 in U.S" – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ Reuters Staff (October 23, 2020). "Lebanon security chief returns to Beirut after positive COVID-19 test in U.S." – via in.reuters.com.
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Lebanese military personnel
- People from Sidon District
- Lebanese Shia Muslims
- COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon
- Directors of the General Directorate of General Security
- 20th-century Lebanese people
- 21st-century Lebanese people
- Major generals