Abbas Ibrahim (; born 2 March 1959)Government Biography
/ref> is a Lebanese major general who was the Director General of the

General Directorate of General Security The General Security Directorate () is a Lebanon, Lebanese intelligence agency founded on July 21, 1921 and originally known as the "first bureau". On June 12, 1959, Decree-Law No. 139, in force from that date, was published. Under this decree ...

from 18 July 2011 until 1 March 2023.

Early life

Abbas Ibrahim was born on 2 March 1959. He hails from the town of Kawthariyet al-Sayyad,

Sidon District The Sidon District () is a district within the South Governorate of Lebanon. Municipalities The following 53 municipalities are all located in the Sidon District: * Aabra * Al-Aaddoussiyah * Aadloun * Aanqoun * Aaqtanit * Ain ad-Delb * An ...

Southern Lebanon Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa districts, the southernmost distr ...

. He has a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in

military science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mi ...

and a Bachelor of Science degree in

Business Administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1998. In 1989, Ibrahim became the personal bodyguard of

Arab League The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...

envoy to Lebanon

Lakhdar Brahimi Lakhdar Brahimi (Algerian Arabic, Algerian pronunciation: ; ; '; born 1 January 1934) is an Algerian United Nations diplomat who served as the United Nations and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria until 14 May 2014. He was Ministry of Foreign Aff ...

. When

Jamil Al Sayyed Jamil Al Sayyed (; born 1950) is a Lebanese politician and a current Member of the Parliament of Lebanon. He is the former head of Lebanon's Sureté Générale or Lebanese General Security Directorate. He was arbitrarily detained and released a ...

was head of the Presidential Guards Squadron, he then appointed Ibrahim as one of the bodyguards to President

Elias Hrawi Elias Hrawi (; 4 September 1926 – 7 July 2006) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 10th president of Lebanon from 1989 to 1998. Early life and education Hrawi was born on 4 September 1926 in Hawch Al Umara, Zahlé, to a wealthy landow ...

and remained in that post until 1992 when he was tasked with protecting then newly appointed Prime Minister

Rafik Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri (; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004. Hariri headed five cabinets during his tenu ...

. In 1994, when

was deputy-Director of Army Intelligence, he appointed Ibrahim as head of the counterterrorism and espionage department at the intelligence directorate. Ibrahim, like his predecessors is closely associated with

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

. However, like Speaker

Nabih Berri Nabih Mustafa Berri ( ; born 28 January 1938) is a Lebanese politician who has been serving as Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon since 1992. He heads the Amal Movement and its parliamentary wing, Development and Liberation Bloc. Early lif ...

, he enjoys excellent ties with several main parties in Lebanon, as opposed to Hezbollah, which has a limited number of allies and several rivals. He was one of the key figures behind trying to get American journalist Austin Tice missing in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

since August 2012 back home.

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

. *1989–1992: Head of close Protection team of former Lebanese President

. *1992–1993: Head of close protection team of former Prime Minister

Rafic Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri (; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as Prime Minister of Lebanon, prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004. Hariri headed fi ...

after assuming his first Cabinet. *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

Lebanese Commando Regiment The Commando Regiment () is a special forces unit in the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). History In 1960, General Emile Boustany, then the commander in northern Lebanon, and Mahmud Tay Abou Dargham discussed the creation of a commando unit. After ...

. *2005–2008: Head of South Lebanon G2 Branch. *2008–2011: First assistant to G2 Director. *2011–2023: Director General of General Security.

Personal life

Ibrahim is married to Ghada Zein. He has four children: Mohammed, Ali, Bilal and Abbas. He is a

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

as all other general directors have been since 1998. Before then, the position was held by the

Maronites Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally resided near Mount ...

since 1943. On 19 October 2020, Ibrahim tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

while in the United States.

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

reported that he had met national security adviser

Robert C. O'Brien Robert Charles O'Brien Jr. (born June 18, 1966) is an American attorney who was the twenty-seventh United States national security advisor from 2019 to 2021. He was the fourth and final person to hold the position during the first presidency of ...

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

the week before to discuss American citizens held in

. The General Directorate of General Security said in a tweet that he was in good health. On 23 October 2020, he returned to

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. On 2 March 2023, he stepped down after attempts to renew term failed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibrahim, Abbas 1959 births Living people People from Sidon District Lebanese Shia Muslims COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon Directors of the General Directorate of General Security 20th-century Lebanese military personnel 21st-century Lebanese military personnel Lebanese major generals