Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has carried out a sweeping reorganization of the country's security and intelligence apparatus, expanding the powers of his interior minister and appointing a new intelligence chief, according to state news agency SANA.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab has been given the additional role of head of the National Security Bureau, which oversees Syria's various security agencies, while retaining his ministerial post. Hussein al-Salamah was named deputy head of the bureau, Mulham al-Shantout became assistant interior minister for security affairs, and Abdul Qader Tahan was appointed head of the General Intelligence Service.

Syrian authorities described the reshuffle as part of efforts to strengthen national security, promote stability, and remove obstacles to reconstruction. The General Intelligence Service is responsible for gathering intelligence, assessing domestic and foreign threats, and countering espionage and terrorism.

Analysts view the changes as an attempt to formalize power structures inherited from al-Sharaa's administration in Idlib. Omer Ozkizilcik, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Syria Project, noted that Khattab previously oversaw both intelligence and policing duties in Idlib.

The reshuffle comes after a turbulent period for Syria's security services. An explosion at a cafe near the main judicial complex in Damascus on July 2 killed at least 10 people. Five days later, explosive devices hidden in a trash bin and a parked car detonated in the capital as French President Emmanuel Macron met al-Sharaa, killing one and wounding 36.

Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an ISIL-linked cell blamed for both attacks. Earlier this month, customs officers at the Iraqi border intercepted a shipment of missiles, rockets, and drones concealed in an oil tanker, allegedly bound for Hezbollah. During his visit, Macron restored full diplomatic relations with Syria.

Source: www.aljazeera.com