Complex sentence: Yacoub Riad Sarraf was the former Governor of Beirut and Mount-Lebanon for several years, was the Minister of Environment from July 2005 to July 2008 and was the acting Minister of Defence during the absence of Elias Murr.
Split into simpler sentences: Yacoub Riad Sarraf served as the Governor of Beirut and Mount-Lebanon for several years. He was appointed as the Minister of Environment from July 2005 to July 2008, and as the acting Minister of Defense during the absence of Elias Murr.