Enab Baladi – Hussam al-Mahmoud
On March 13, the transitional Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, issued a decision to form a National Security Council in Syria, including a group of ministers from the interim government that was replaced by the transitional government formed at the end of the same month.
According to the text of the decision issued by the Syrian Presidency, and based on the powers granted to the Syrian president and motivated by the supreme national interest, and in order to enhance national security and respond to the security and political challenges in the upcoming phase, the council was formed to coordinate and manage security and political policies.
The council consists of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense, the Director of General Intelligence, and the Minister of Interior.
It also includes two advisory seats appointed by the President of the Republic based on competence and experience, in addition to a technical specialty seat designated by the president to monitor technical and scientific matters related to the minutes of the session.
The National Security Council meets periodically or at the invitation of the President of the Republic, making decisions related to national security and the challenges facing the state in consultation with its members.
The tasks of the National Security Council and its operational mechanisms are defined by directives from the President of the Republic, aligning with the supreme national interest and ensuring effective coordination among various security agencies.
On March 30, when the Syrian president announced the formation of the new government, Anas Khattab, the head of the Syrian intelligence agency, took over as Minister of Interior, leaving the intelligence agency management position vacant since that time. Additionally, the decision to form the National Security Council did not specify the identities of the advisory seat holders to be appointed by the president, and no subsequent announcement about their appointment has been issued.
Amid internal and external challenges
The formation of the council, which represents a high-level security body, occurred at a time when the country faced numerous security, political, and military challenges on multiple levels. It was established only three months after the fall of the ousted Assad regime and the dismantling of the security and intelligence apparatus of the former regime.
During that time, Anas Khattab (the current Minister of Interior) stated that the security institution would be restructured after dissolving all security branches to align with the Syrian people’s dignity and rich history in nation-building.
Additionally, it was included in the resolutions of the Victory Conference on January 29, eliminating all security agencies affiliated with the former regime, along with its various branches and militias, and forming a new security institution.
The council was formed amid a fragile Syrian landscape rich in problems, as the file of remnants of the former regime and the security threats they pose remains open, along with ongoing efforts to control unregulated weapons and to confine arms to the state’s agencies. This can be observed through sporadic attacks carried out by regime remnants against Syrian security forces, alongside continuous arm deliveries and the discovery of weapon stores or reports of arms hidden by local bodies.
Additionally, efforts to unify Syrian geography under a single political and military authority continue following an agreement brokered by the Syrian president with the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, which is expected to culminate at the end of the year in the official government forces taking control over areas currently managed by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). To achieve this, prisoner exchanges have occurred between government forces and the SDF in predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo, where the SDF later withdrew to northeastern Syria, allowing government General Security Forces to enter.
In southern Syria, local factions in As-Suwayda have not relinquished their arms to the Syrian state, and the influential local social forces, represented by the spiritual leader of the Druze community, have not permitted public security patrols. This indicates incomplete control in the south, while Israel continues airstrikes targeting military capabilities in several governorates, including Damascus, Homs, Hama, and Daraa. Following the fall of the Assad regime, Israel conducted ground incursions that crossed the buffer line and violated the Disengagement Agreement established in 1974, in Mount Hermon and the outskirts of Daraa. Israel escalated its presence in the Yarmouk Basin in southern Syria after facing local popular resistance against its ground forces, resulting in the killing of Syrians and wounding others by gunfire and tank shells.
A necessary step
Military analyst Major Tarek Hajj Bakri stressed that forming a National Security Council at this specific moment is essential, as Syria is facing numerous threats internally and externally. There are activities carried out by remnants of the Assad regime and criminals pursued who pose threats in the Syrian coast and have secret centers, along with dubious calls issued by individuals in southern Syria inviting Israeli intervention in Syrian affairs.
Additionally, there is a present international threat in northeastern Syria, along with threats from Iran, its militias, and Hezbollah, making the National Security Council necessary since it differs from internal security duties by aiming to maintain national security extending beyond Syria to prevent threats emanating from abroad. Many countries resort to forming councils of this kind that handle crucial decisions affecting the state, and their resolutions are respected by all local security forces.
Internal security and the intelligence agency are considered parts of national security, and there is no contradiction between the two entities, as the National Security Council serves as the supreme security authority in the country and is responsible for proposing candidates for sensitive security positions.
Bodies for coordinating and implementing policies
National Security Councils are high governmental bodies responsible for setting, coordinating, and implementing policies related to the nation’s security, varying in their missions and structures from one country to another. However, they often share several critical roles, including assessing security threats and analyzing and estimating potential risks and threats to the state, whether internal or external (such as terrorism, espionage, epidemics, disasters, cybersecurity…).
They also focus on drafting security policies and strategies, providing recommendations regarding them, and proposing appropriate plans to address crises and threats, in addition to coordinating among relevant entities and connecting state institutions concerned with security (defense, intelligence, foreign affairs, interior, etc.) to ensure unified decision-making and execution.
These councils are also tasked with supervising security agencies, sometimes overseeing or monitoring the performance of security and intelligence bodies to ensure compliance with the law, as well as managing crises and emergencies and participating in decision-making during major crises, such as wars, natural disasters, or terrorist attacks.
Regarding discussions on defense and foreign policies, these councils often have an advisory or even executive role in matters related to foreign and defense policies.
Countries that have such councils include the United States, where the National Security Council (NSC) was established in 1947, making it one of the most essential security and strategic planning bodies in the world.
Russia has the Russian Security Council, composed of 30 members, including 13 permanent members, chaired by the Russian president, making it a powerful tool in his hands. France also has a council that addresses security threats.
The UK established a National Security Council in 2010 to coordinate security and defense strategies. In China, there is a Central Security Committee under the supervision of the Communist Party, focusing on national security coordination.
National security councils also exist in Arab and Islamic countries, including Turkey and Egypt, with variances in their structures, authorities, and powers.
Such councils typically include the head of state or government, the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, interior, the head of intelligence, and the national security advisor, if such a position exists, along with the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. These councils differ from intelligence agencies in that intelligence agencies are executive entities that gather and analyze information and may carry out field operations, while national security councils serve a coordinating and advisory function that makes decisions and provides recommendations based on security and governmental data.
In some countries, National Security Council meetings can be held in secret without publishing the resolutions issued by them, while other countries grant the parliament or legislative body the authority to oversee the council’s decisions.
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