The Lebanese-Syrian Security Apparatus (or the Syrian Intelligence Apparatus in Lebanon, Arabic: النظام الأمني اللبناني السوري), was a network of intelligence officers and security leaders in Syria and Lebanon that is believed to have been the actual ruling power behind the Lebanese government[1][2] during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, which ended in 2005.
[1] The apparatus exerted significant influence over Lebanese affairs,[3] playing a crucial role in determining appointments to public positions.
[4] The Bekaa Valley town of Anjar, where the Syrian apparatus headquarters was located,[5][6] became a center of power in Lebanon,[2][7][3] with Syrian intelligence officials like General Ghazi Kan'an and General Rustum Ghazali having a significant say in cabinet appointments,[5][2] while the Syrian president appointed and extended the terms of Lebanese presidents.
The apparatus was finally dismantled in 2005 following the Cedar Revolution, a popular uprising that forced Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
[3] This apparatus was established in the late 1970s when Syria intervened in Lebanon's civil war.