Syrian security forces carried out a series of coordinated operations over the past week, arresting wanted individuals and targeting remnants of the former regime in multiple provinces, according to official statements.
In the capital, Damascus, security forces raided a hideout in the Barzeh neighborhood on Sunday, arresting several suspects linked to an armed cell. Lieutenant Colonel Abdurahman al-Dabbagh, director of the Damascus Security Directorate, said the operation followed surveillance of the group’s movements.
“We seized weapons and ammunition intended to terrorize peaceful citizens,” Dabbagh said in a statement carried by state media. “Those arrested will be referred to the Public Prosecution Office to face justice.”
The Damascus directorate also recently freed a citizen kidnapped in the Mezzeh 86 district. Dabbagh said the abduction was resolved swiftly after authorities tracked one of the kidnappers and arrested him in a sting operation.
In Tartous Governorate, security units arrested Brigadier General Hamed Ali Barhoum, a former officer in the ousted Assad regime, during an ambush in the village of Baqau near Dreikish. According to a security source quoted by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Barhoum was apprehended while carrying a weapon and will be transferred to the judiciary for further investigation.
“These operations are part of an intensified campaign against remnants of the former regime who are attempting to destabilize the country,” the source said.
Separately, in Latakia, security forces clashed with a militant cell led by Hassan Ibrahim, described by authorities as a former regime commander responsible for several attacks against government personnel.
Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Knefati, head of public security in Latakia, said Ibrahim was killed in the confrontation, along with members of his group. “This cell was behind the assassination of two members of the Public Security Directorate on March 3,” Knefati told SANA.
Video footage shared by the Ministry of Interior showed Ibrahim executing two Ministry of Defense fighters during a previous ambush. Authorities believe the group was planning additional attacks.
The operations across Damascus, Tartous, and Latakia come amid an ongoing campaign by Syria’s transitional government to dismantle remnants of the previous regime and restore public safety.
“These actions demonstrate our resolve to hold accountable those who threaten national stability,” al-Dabbagh said.
