intelligence officer

Rustum Ghazaleh

رستم غزالة

Also known as: Abu Ali

Journeys

Syria's Enforcer in Lebanon — Rustum Ghazaleh's Rise and Mysterious Death

From Lebanon's shadow governor to Syrian Military Intelligence chief — Rustum Ghazaleh was a pillar of Assad's coercive architecture, dying under mysterious circumstances in April 2015 in what analysts read as an internal regime purge.

Biography

Rustom Ghazaleh was Syria's intelligence chief in Lebanon from 2002 to 2005 — succeeding Ghazi Kanaan — and the last Syrian intelligence commander there before the forced 2005 withdrawal after Hariri's assassination. A Sunni from Daraa, he was deeply involved in Lebanon's political manipulation including the extension of President Emile Lahoud's term against the Lebanese constitution. He died in 2015 in Damascus, reportedly after being beaten by other Syrian intelligence officials in an internal power struggle.

Documentation Status

VerificationConfirmed

Journeys1

Key Facts

Born:1953

Place:Daraa, Syria

Died:2015-04-22

Nationality:Syrian