Maj. Gen. Jamil al-Sayyed, Lebanon's former director-general of general decurity, revealed to Al-Monitor that the initiative to eliminate terrorist organizations from the Syrian-Lebanese border region and free the Lebanese soldiers held captive since August 2014 failed due to political reasons and international interests.
Sayyed was a prominent decision-maker in Lebanon, even before 2005, and has continued to handle delicate issues. He earned the trust of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, as he was considered the most powerful man in Lebanon during the Syrian occupation (1991-2005). Sayyed was the central contact between Damascus and its allies in Lebanon, mainly Hezbollah.