Lieutenant General Ghazi Kanaan, the head of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon, has been promoted to a post in Damascus, Lebanese sources close to the Syrian leadership said.
Kanaan, 59, was expected to head an important post in the security services, the sources told AFP.
Kanaan, the commander of the "mukhabarat" (intelligence services) in Lebanon since 1982, will be replaced by Colonel Rustom Ghazale, head of Syrian intelligence in Beirut.
Kanaan joined the military early in his career, reportedly commanding an army unit facing Israeli forces in the Golan Heights during the 1970s. He rapidly advanced through the army officer corps. He attained the rank of Colonel and served as head of Syrian intelligence in Homs until 1982. Kanaan is credited with gradually tightening Syria's grip over the Lebanese government during the 1980s.
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