Elias Bayssari (; born 4 December 1964) is a Lebanese major general who currently serves as the acting general director 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 ...

Early life and education

Elias Baysarri was born in 1964 to a

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, 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 re ...

family from Haouch Hala. He joined the army in 1986 after studying at the military academy. In 1995, he took up a post in Beirut’s intelligence services and then served in the army’s intelligence service. Baysarri obtained a bachelors degree in law at the

Lebanese University The Lebanese University (LU; ) is the only state-funded public university in Lebanon. It was established in 1951. The university's main campus was originally located in Beirut, but a few satellite campuses were opened due to travel restriction ...

and obtained a masters and PhD in the same field.

Career

In 2000, he was assigned to the office of the president of the republic during Emile Lahoud’s tenure until 2004 where he was also temporary assigned to the Interior Ministry in 2004 and then to the Defense Ministry in 2005 under

Elias Murr Elias Murr (, '; born 30 January 1962) is a Lebanese politician and an International political figure. Early life and education Murr was born on 30 January 1962 in Bteghrine. He is the son of former deputy Prime Minister and interior minister, M ...

where they became close companions. On 12 July 2005, Murr and Baysarri were targeted by a circa 20-kg improvised explosive device in the city of

Antelias Antelias () is a city in Lebanon in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate. It is located around 5 km to the north of Beirut. Etymology The name is originally Greek, ἀντήλιος – from ἀντί(anti) "contra" and ἥλ� ...

. Baissari spent a month in a coma but recovered and returned to his post. According to various sources, the assassination attempt is linked to

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 ...

's assassination squad -

Unit 121 Unit 121 is Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah's covert assassination team reporting directly to the group's Secretary-General. The unit has allegedly conducted deadly car bombings targeting Lebanese military and political leaders and jou ...

. After joining the

in 2005, he was put in charge of the office of former Director General Abbas Ibrahim. In 2019, Bayssari temporarily served as the acting head of General Security when Ibrahim was abroad. On March 2, 2023, He was appointed by the Minister of Interior and Municipalities to direct the General Directorate of General Security replacing Abbas Ibrahim who retired. His appointment as acting Director General was initially set for a period of 6 months or until a new president is elected and a new government is formed. The medical committee of General Security approved the extension of Bayssari's commission for nine months, despite questions about his fitness due to injuries from the 2005 car bomb attack. In 2024, Bayssari's name was put forward by Qatar, represented by its special envoy to Lebanon Jassem al-Thani (Abu Fahd), who suggested his candidacy to fill in the presidential vacuum to succeed Michel Aoun. Bayssari had a "non-confrontational personality" and "He has never tried to provoke anyone" which led to his suggestion. He also has maintained good relations with all political groups in Lebanon which made him become considered by the

Amal Movement The Amal Movement () is a Lebanese political party and militia affiliated mainly with the Shia community of Lebanon. It was founded by Musa al-Sadr and Hussein el-Husseini in 1974 as the "Movement of the Deprived." The party has been led by ...

and

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayssari, Elias 1964 births Living people Directors of the General Directorate of General Security Lebanese Maronites 20th-century Lebanese military personnel 21st-century Lebanese military personnel Lebanese major generals Lebanese University alumni People from Zahle District