BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad dismissed Wednesday the powerful head of the Military Security branch, Lt. Gen. Rafik Shehadeh, according to media reports.

The move resulted from an earlier dispute between Shehadeh and Maj. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh, the head of Political Security, the reports said.

Maj. Gen. Mohammad Mahalla was named as Shehadeh’s replacement, according to some anti-regime outlets, while others indicated that Ghazaleh had also been relieved of his duties.

Earlier this month, Ghazaleh was reportedly discharged from a Damascus hospital after he received a severe beating from bodyguards acting on Shehadeh’s orders. The incident was said to have been sparked by the regime’s growing anger at Ghazaleh, after he expressed his anger over the expanded role of Iran and Hezbollah in military operations.