Hafez Makhlouf | |
|---|---|
| حافظ مخلوف | |
| Head of Damascus Branch ofGeneral Intelligence Directorate | |
| In office 2011–2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1971-04-02)2 April 1971 (age 53) Damascus,Syria |
| Political party | Syrian Regional Branch of theArab Socialist Ba'ath Party |
| Relations | Rami Makhlouf (brother) Iyad Makhlouf (brother) Ihab Makhlouf (brother) Bashar al-Assad (cousin) Atef Najib (cousin) |
| Parent(s) | Mohammed Makhlouf Ghada Adib Mhanna |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Syria |
| Branch/service | Syrian Arab Army |
| Years of service | 1992–present |
| Rank |  Brigadier general |
| Unit | General Intelligence Military Intelligence Republican Guard |
| Battles/wars | Syrian civil war |
Hafez Mohamad Makhlouf (Arabic:حافظ مخلوف; born 2 April 1971), also known asHafez Makhlouf, is aSyrianbrigadier general and intelligence officer who headed theDamascus branch of theSyrian General Intelligence Directorate. He was a member of former Syrian presidentBashar al-Assad's inner circle of close supporters.[1][2][3]
Makhlouf was born inDamascus on 2 April 1971.[4] He is a maternal cousin of former Syrian presidentBashar al-Assad and the brother ofRami Makhlouf, a leading businessman in Syria. He is also a cousin ofAtef Najib, formerpolitical security chief in the city ofDaraa.[5] Makhlouf was commissioned into theRepublican Guard in 1992 and was a close friend ofBassel al-Assad, the elder brother of Bashar al-Assad. Makhlouf was injured in the high-speed car crash in 1994 that resulted in Bassel's death.[6]
Makhlouf was a Colonel of the Army and the head of Section 40 atthe General Security Directorate'sInternal Branch (251) until 2014.[7][8] In late 2014, he was transferred to GID headquarters. In November 2014, Col. Hafez Makhlouf also met with Egyptian PresidentAbdel Fattah el-Sisi inCairo. In 2017, he was promoted to brigadier general and entrusted with relations with theIranianintelligence services and the LebaneseHezbollah.[9] In 2018, Brig. Gen. Hafez Makhlouf returned to his post in the GID, overseeing import of weapons into Syria fromRussia andBelarus.[9]
Makhlouf was sanctioned by theUS Department of the Treasury in 2007 for "undermining the sovereignty ofLebanon or its democratic processes and institutions." The sanctions called for freezing "any assets the designees may have located in the United States", and prohibited U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with these individuals".[10] Makhlouf was further sanctioned in 2011 by the United States in May, the EU in September.[2] In November 2011 the Arab League imposed a travel ban on him.[2]
Swiss authorities froze Hafez Makhlouf's account of about 3 million euros in aGeneva bank for suspected money laundering in 2011.[11] In February 2012, Makhlouf won a legal bid to unfreeze SFr 3 million ($3.3 million) held in bank accounts inSwitzerland[12] after he appealed, saying it predated sanctions.[11] However, his legal bid to enter Switzerland to meet with his lawyers was rejected by Switzerland's supreme court at the end of 2011.[13]
Hafez Makhlouf reportedly bought £31 million in Moscow property through the financing network of Syrian-Russian businessmanMudalal Khoury.[14][15]
On 18 July 2012,Al Arabiya reported that Makhlouf was killed ina bombing which targeted a meeting of theCentral Crisis Management Cell (CCMC) at Syria's National Security headquarters in Damascus.[16] Other sources, however, indicated that he was only wounded in the attack.[17]
In September 2014, multiple sources reported that he had relocated toBelarus with his wife. Earlier in the month, Makhlouf had been removed from his powerful intelligence post in Damascus but pro-government sources said at the time that it was a "routine" move.Joshua Landis, a U.S. expert on Syria, tweeted that Makhlouf had left Syria and that he and his brotherIhab had removed Assad’s photo from their Facebook pages and WhatsApp profiles.[18]
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