Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi named Major General Hassan Mahmoud Rashad as head of the powerful general intelligence agency on Wednesday, appointing the outgoing chief Abbas Kamel as an adviser to the presidency.

The agency has played a leading role under Sisi, handling foreign-policy matters including conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and Libya, as well as domestic-security issues linked to a long-running crackdown on political dissent.

Rashad previously served as a deputy to Kamel, and according to two security sources, had taken over management of important files, including warming relations between Egypt and Iran.

It was not immediately clear what impact the change could have, but Sisi has depended heavily on Kamel, who was a fixture in meetings with senior foreign leaders and at summits. He was often sent on trips abroad as an envoy.

Kamel, 68, was appointed head of the intelligence agency in 2018, before which he worked in military intelligence and was director of Sisi’s office. He had recently asked to delegate some of his heavy workload after suffering health problems, the security sources said.

Former Deputy Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, Major General Mohamed Rashad, told The Arab Weekly that the change at the helm of the intelligence service was “necessary”. It usually occurs every three or four years, although Abbas Kamel served for six years.

The changing of the guard he added, aims to “maintain the vitality of the service in a way that enables it to deal with challenges” and to “inject new blood in order to meet current threats.

“Keeping up with modern national security concepts is very important in light of the escalation in the region,” he said noting that out of national security concerns, Egypt needed to pay attention to developments on its border in these turbulent times.

Analysts say the actions of Israel’s of intelligence services against Hamas and Hezbollah militants, and particularly their reliance on artificial intelligence and other modern technologies in their covert activities, will not have been missed by Cairo’s highly competent intelligence agencies as they seek to adjust to the evolving nature of challenges they face.

It remains to be seen whether General Abbas Kamel is entrusted by Sisi with an effective role advising the president on major security issues, or if his position will be purely honorary.