The new director of General Security Hassan Choucair (center) during the handover of power with Élias Baïssari (right), in the presence of the Minister of the Interior, on March 17, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
A handover ceremony was held Monday morning at General Security headquarters between outgoing interim director Elias Baissari and his successor, Hassan Choucair, who pledged to safeguard Lebanon’s national security and borders amid regional tensions while also combating corruption within the institution.
“It is a great responsibility in line with the challenges we face. I carry it with pride and honor in a situation that requires us to work in a spirit of national responsibility and solidarity to preserve the security and stability of Lebanon,” Choucair said upon taking office. He also vowed to uphold “transparency, integrity, and military discipline.”
Choucair outlined his objectives, including strengthening control and surveillance at Lebanon’s legal land, sea, and air crossings, combating illegal immigration and human trafficking, and cracking down on corruption within General Security. He also pledged to modernize the institution, expand electronic services to facilitate applications and enhance international security cooperation through coordination with foreign agencies and organizations.
For his part, Baissari reflected on his tenure, emphasizing that General Security had "worked tirelessly at land, air, and sea crossings, providing services despite critical circumstances and direct [Israeli] aggression against its border posts." He described his time in office as "a difficult phase," particularly given the two-and-a-half-year presidential vacuum and a caretaker government. Baissari also praised President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam for setting the country on a path toward "modernity and reform," expressing hope for Lebanon’s future.
Interior Minister calls for Israeli withdrawal
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar praised Baissari’s efforts and congratulated Choucair on his new role. "The government has begun addressing urgent issues and is working on short-, medium-, and long-term plans to promote national progress at various levels, in accordance with President Joseph Aoun’s inaugural speech and the ministerial statement," he said.
"Our main concern remains the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and our role — and yours — is essential to stabilizing our people in their villages, in full coordination with security and military institutions, primarily the Lebanese army," Hajjar told Choucair.
Regarding municipal elections set for May, Hajjar said the Interior Ministry was continuing its preparations to ensure they are held on time.
On Thursday, Lebanon appointed new leaders to head its main security institutions. In addition to Choucair’s appointment to General Security, Rodolph Haykal was named commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army, while Raed Abdallah was appointed director general of the Internal Security Forces.