4.3. Intelligence Agencies

4.3. Intelligence Agencies

Lebanon’s intelligence apparatus is composed of four agencies: the Intelligence Section of the Internal Security Forces (IS-ISF), the General Directorate of General Security (GDGS), the Military Intelligence Directorate (MID), and the State Security Directorate (SSD).278 The functions of the GDSC, among other activities, include collecting and analysing data on political, economic, and social issues in support of government operations, participating in judicial investigations related to internal and external threats to state security, overseeing the development and enforcement of security measures, and combating threats to national security by investigating sabotage, pursuing anarchist militants, and countering the spread of destabilising rumours.279

According to International Crisis Group, Lebanon’s intelligence agencies, including the GDGS and the MID, face significant resource constraints, reduced funding due to the economic crisis, and low public confidence in the security forces, which collectively limit their operational effectiveness.280 No other source could be found to corroborate this information within the time constrains of this report.