Wissam al-Hassan: Lebanon's Last Line Against Syrian Intelligence

Wissam al-Hassan rose to head the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces and became Lebanon's most effective intelligence official tracking Syrian and Hezbollah operations. His most significant achievement before his death was the arrest of Michel Samaha — a former Lebanese information minister and close Assad ally — in August 2012. Samaha was caught transporting explosives from Syria to Lebanon for a bombing campaign planned to destabilize northern Lebanon and incite sectarian conflict. The explosives were provided by Syrian intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk. The operation was to create the conditions for Syrian military 're-entry' into Lebanon. Al-Hassan's investigators had monitored the entire operation. Samaha's arrest was a direct blow to Syrian intelligence operations in Lebanon. Two months later, al-Hassan was killed.