Ali Hammoud

Ali Haj Hammoud (علي حمود) (born 1944) is a former Syrian intelligence officer who served as minister of interior.

Early life
Hammoud was born in Homs into an Alawite family in 1944.

Career
Hammoud served as head of the general security administration and involved in suppressing the Islamic revolt during the period of 1976-1982. He was an intelligence officer served in West Beirut. Then he was made Syria's military intelligence chief in Beirut and had the rank of brigadier general. During his term in Lebanon, he had close ties with Emile Lahoud.

Hammoud was named the head of the General Security Directorate in October 2001, replacing Ali Houri. Shortly after he was appointed interior minister in December 2001 in a cabinet reshuffle by Bashar Assad and replaced Mohammad Harba as interior minister. Hammoud was also promoted to the rank of major general. The cabinet was headed by then prime minister Muhammad Mustafa Mero. Hisham Ikhtiar succeeded Hammoud as the head of the General Security Directorate. Hammoud served as interior minister until 2004 when he was replaced by Ghazi Kanaan.