شعبة المخابرات العسكرية أو الأمن العسكري Shu'bat al-Mukhabarat al-'Askariyya | |
Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1969 |
Preceding agency | |
Jurisdiction | President of Syria |
Headquarters | Defense Ministry headquarters, Umayyad Square, Damascus, Syria 33°30′51″N 36°16′43″E / 33.51417°N 36.27861°ECoordinates: 33°30′51″N 36°16′43″E / 33.51417°N 36.27861°E |
Agency executive |
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Parent agency | Military of Syria |
The Military Intelligence Directorate (Arabic: شعبة المخابرات العسكرية, romanized: Shu'bat al-Mukhabarat al-'Askariyya), is the military intelligence service of Syria.[1] Although its roots go back to the French mandate period (1923–1943), its current organization was established in 1969.[2][3] Its predecessor organisation was called the Deuxième Bureau (the Second Bureau).[2][3] It is headquartered at the Defense Ministry in Damascus.
The military intelligence service, or the Mukhabarat in Arabic, is very influential in Syrian politics and is controlled by the President, Bashar al-Assad.[4][5] It is suspected of providing support to different radical groups.[6] The service also monitors opponents of the government outside Syria.[7] During the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, the Mukhabarat exercised political authority in Lebanon.