Internal Security Forces

Public Safety and Law Enforcementisf.gov.lb

The Internal Security Forces (ISF) is Lebanon's primary national law enforcement agency under the Ministry of Interior, employing over 10,000 personnel across 100+ stations nationwide. It provides free public security services including criminal investigation, traffic enforcement, cybercrime, prison administration, and diplomatic protection, funded entirely by government budget allocation.

Company typePublic
Founded1959
HeadquartersAchrafieh, Lebanon
Headcount5,001–10,000
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Internal Security Forces does

Internal Security Forces (ISF), officially the Directorate General of Internal Security Forces (المديرية العامة لقوى الأمن الداخلي), is Lebanon's primary national law enforcement agency operating under the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities. Founded in the 1860s and reorganized in 1959, the force is headquartered at the Ibrahim El-Khoury Barracks in Ashrafieh, Beirut, and employs over 10,000 personnel across more than 100 police stations, emergency stations, traffic detachments, and specialized units covering all Lebanese territories. Its operational scope spans administrative and judicial police functions, criminal investigation, anti-drug operations, cybercrime, border security, traffic enforcement, prison administration, and diplomatic mission protection.

The organization is structured into 10 organizational units including the ISF Institute (training academy), General Inspectorate (oversight and human rights monitoring), Mobile Forces, Embassy Security Apparatus, Beirut Police, Territorial Gendarmerie, Central Administration, Judiciary Police, Information Branch, and Social Services. It operates a multi-language digital portal (isf.gov.lb) offering citizen-facing services such as anonymous crime reporting (hotline 1788), traffic ticket management, missing persons alerts, judicial decisions lookup, and medical allowances for retired personnel. The ISF Institute in Ain Dara serves as a modern training facility with smart boards, indoor/outdoor shooting ranges, and a 40,000 sqm training village with realistic scenarios. The force maintains dedicated hotlines including 112 (general emergency), 1744 (General Inspectorate), and 1745 (domestic violence), and publishes an Internet Security Awareness program covering online safety, child protection, and financial transaction security.

ISF is funded entirely through Lebanese government budget allocations and provides all services free of charge to the public, making it a non-commercial state entity with no revenue model in the traditional sense. It is governed by a Director General (currently Major General Raed Abdallah, appointed March 2025) under the Minister of Interior, with no private equity, venture capital, or external investor relationships. The institution has 165 years of accumulated institutional experience and maintains international partnerships with diplomatic missions, the European Union, and academic institutions including a 2026 MoU with the Lebanese French University.

Internal Security Forces firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Internal Security Forces
Legal name: Directorate General of Internal Security Forces (المديرية العامة لقوى الأمن الداخلي)
Website: https://isf.gov.lb
Company type: Public
Founded year: 1959
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 5,001–10,000 employees
Short description: The Internal Security Forces (ISF) is Lebanon's primary national law enforcement agency under the Ministry of Interior, employing over 10,000 personnel across 100+ stations nationwide. It provides free public security services including criminal investigation, traffic enforcement, cybercrime, prison administration, and diplomatic protection, funded entirely by government budget allocation.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Internal Security Forces industry classification

Industry

Product category: Public Safety and Law Enforcement
NAICS: Police Protection (92212), National Security and International Affairs (9281), National Security (928110), Security Guards and Patrol Services (561612)
SIC: Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)
akta.pro primary industry: Special Operations & Counterterrorism (BPAIAHAH)
akta.pro secondary industries: Public Sector Guarding (Government Buildings, Courthouses) (BPAKAAAG), Diplomatic / Government Official Close Protection (BPAKABAF)

Keywords

Law enforcement services
Public safety
Criminal investigation
Traffic enforcement
Cybercrime prevention

Where Internal Security Forces is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Achrafieh
HQ country: Lebanon
HQ region: Middle East

Offices21 records

Markets served

Internal Security Forces business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

Government Budget Allocation: Funded through Lebanese government national budget allocations for public security services

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Internal Security Forces product offering

Product offering

Core offering

The Internal Security Forces is Lebanon's primary national law enforcement agency providing public safety, criminal investigation, traffic enforcement, and emergency response services. It operates 10 specialized units including the Information Branch for intelligence, General Inspectorate for oversight, Regional Gendarmerie for territorial policing, and the ISF Institute for personnel training. Services are delivered free of charge to citizens through digital portals and a network of 100+ police stations, emergency stations, and traffic detachments covering all Lebanese territories.

Product overview

The Internal Security Forces website serves as the official digital portal of Lebanon's national police force, offering citizen-facing services alongside internal institutional information. The platform provides a unified gateway to services including anonymous crime reporting, traffic ticket management, missing persons alerts, and medical benefits for retired personnel. The site also hosts institutional sections covering the ISF Institute (training academy), Information Branch (intelligence/ investigations), General Inspectorate (oversight and human rights monitoring), and the Shooting Club. A tender portal enables supplier engagement, while publications including ISF magazines document force activities. The platform architecture consists of web-based citizen services integrated with internal police operations, accessible in Arabic, English, and French.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

ISF Magazines (Al-Amen, Fata Al-Amen, Security Studies): Official publications of the Internal Security Forces including Al-Amen (414 issues), Fata Al-Amen (391 issues), and Security Studies (109 issues)

Products and services

Anonymous Complaints Service A secure channel allowing citizens to submit anonymous tips and complaints to the Internal Security Forces regarding crimes or suspicious activities.
Traffic Tickets System Online portal for citizens to view and manage traffic violations and associated judicial decisions.
Missing Persons Reporting Service for publishing and tracking missing persons cases to facilitate public assistance in locating individuals.
Medical Allowances for Retired Personnel Benefits portal for retired ISF members to access medical allowances and healthcare support.
Internet Security Awareness Program Educational resources and guidance on cybersecurity best practices, protecting children online, and preventing cybercrimes including electronic extortion.
ISF Institute Training Programs The training academy for Internal Security Forces providing basic, continuous, and specialized training programs for ISF personnel and other security institutions.
Information Branch Services Intelligence and investigative unit handling citizen complaints, crime reports, and criminal intelligence gathering. Accepts reports via email ([email protected]) and hotline 1788.
General Inspectorate Oversight Services Oversight body monitoring ISF services across all sectors, investigating citizen complaints about ISF personnel, and monitoring human rights compliance. Handles domestic violence cases via hotline 1744.
Judicial Decisions for Traffic Violations Public access to court rulings related to traffic offenses issued by the judiciary.
ISF Shooting Club Recreational shooting facility at the Emile Helou barracks in Beirut offering pistol shooting sports and training for ISF members and authorized civilians.
ISF Magazines Official publications including Al-Amen, Fata Al-Amen, and Security Studies magazines covering ISF activities and security topics.
Tender Portal Online portal for equipment and construction tenders, displaying active procurement opportunities for suppliers and contractors.

Companies that use Internal Security Forces

Customer profile

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Internal Security Forces technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Internal Security Forces partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Lebanese French University (Université Libanaise Française)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Memorandum of Understanding signed between ISF and Lebanese French University for academic cooperation. University will provide special scholarships to serving ISF members, their families, and families of retired personnel. This partnership aims to strengthen integration between security and academic institutions and promote knowledge-based security.
U.S. Embassy in LebanonminorOthers · 2 June 2026Major General Raed Abdallah received the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon for diplomatic cooperation discussions at ISF General Headquarters.
Siren AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2026Joint workshop on community policing concept held at Jounieh Municipality with participation of ISF, Keserwan Federation of Municipalities, and coastal municipalities. Workshop aimed to strengthen cooperation between security agencies, municipal police, and citizens.
Dar Al-Amal AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Gender sensitivity training session organized at Women's Prison in Tripoli. Association's social worker conducted training for female prison guards on gender-sensitive practices and treatment of female inmates.
European UnionminorOthersEU Ambassador participated in opening ceremony of Zouheir Joudi building in Jimayzeh, sponsored by Major General Osman, indicating ongoing EU support for ISF infrastructure development.
SpainminorOthersSpanish Ambassador participated in opening ceremony of Zouheir Joudi building in Jimayzeh, indicating bilateral cooperation in security infrastructure development.
Keserwan Federation of MunicipalitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in community policing workshop with ISF and coastal municipalities to strengthen cooperation between security agencies and local authorities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Internal Security Forces competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Others

INTERPOL: International police-coordination organization with which ISF's Information Branch and cybercrime units interface for cross-border cases. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

Direction Générale de la Police Nationale (France): French national police force that historically served as the institutional model for ISF under the French Mandate. Closest comparable in policing doctrine, uniform structure, and investigative methodology.
State Security (Lebanon): Lebanese state-security agency with overlapping internal-security and intelligence mandate. Closely comparable on geographic jurisdiction and remit overlap, though narrower in the policing-services set.
Lebanese General Security (قوى الأمن العام): Sister Lebanese internal-security agency under the same Ministry of Interior umbrella, with overlapping responsibilities in border control, residency, and general policing. The most directly comparable peer given shared jurisdiction, geography, and mandate overlap.

Regional players

Dubai Police: UAE emirate-level police force widely regarded for digital-service leadership in policing. Comparable on the citizen-facing digital-services dimension and on multi-unit specialization (cyber, traffic, special operations).
Public Security Directorate (Jordan): Jordan's primary internal-security and public-police directorate, with a similar multi-unit structure (gendarmerie, traffic, special units). Strong regional comparator given shared French-influenced policing tradition.
Abu Dhabi Police: UAE emirate-level police force with comparable structure — traffic, criminal investigation, community policing, and special units. Useful regional comparator on operational scale and modernization pace.

Broad incumbents

Metropolitan Police Service (UK): Large metropolitan police force with comparable functions (cybercrime, counterterrorism, community policing, public-order policing). A broad incumbent reference point for institutional scale and service breadth.
Lebanese Armed Forces: Lebanon's broader national-security institution, overlapping with ISF on counterterrorism, border security, and internal order. A larger incumbent across the same geography with a wider defense remit.
New York City Police Department: Large municipal police force with comparable functions across cybercrime, counterterrorism (joint operations), traffic, transit, and community policing. Useful comparator for digital-service maturity and multi-unit coordination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Internal Security Forces financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Internal Security Forces leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Internal Security Forces subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries11 records

Internal Security Forces funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Internal Security Forces M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Internal Security Forces

What does Internal Security Forces do?

Is Internal Security Forces a public or private company?

Internal Security Forces is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was Internal Security Forces founded?

Internal Security Forces was founded in 1959. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.

Where is Internal Security Forces based?

Internal Security Forces is headquartered in Achrafieh, Lebanon, in the Middle East region.

How does Internal Security Forces make money?

One revenue line is on record: government Budget Allocation.

Who are Internal Security Forces's main competitors?

INTERPOL is listed as an others. Direct peers are Direction Générale de la Police Nationale (France), State Security (Lebanon) and Lebanese General Security (قوى الأمن العام). Regional players are Dubai Police, Public Security Directorate (Jordan) and Abu Dhabi Police. Broad incumbents are Metropolitan Police Service (UK), Lebanese Armed Forces and New York City Police Department.

Does Internal Security Forces have an API?

No public API is recorded for Internal Security Forces.

What industry is Internal Security Forces in?

Internal Security Forces's product category is Public Safety and Law Enforcement. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAHAH, Special Operations & Counterterrorism, with a secondary code of BPAKAAAG, Public Sector Guarding (Government Buildings, Courthouses). Its NAICS code is 92212 and its SIC code is 7381.