A joint security operation conducted early Thursday, August 7, by Syrian internal security forces and the General Intelligence Service dismantled an ISIS cell operating in the Harem region of western Idlib province, authorities confirmed.
The operation, described by officials as “qualitative,” resulted in the arrest of nine suspected ISIS operatives. According to a statement by Brig. Gen. Ghassan Muhammad Bakir, the head of internal security in Idlib province, the group was responsible for a string of assassinations—and a plot targeting Iraqi nationals in the region—while also preparing further attacks.
“These individuals were involved in killing three people in Salqin, one in Azmarin, and another in the village of Kaftin,” Bakir said. “All of the victims were Iraqis who had taken refuge in Syria after fleeing ISIS in their home country.”
The Special Task Force, which led the raid, also seized a large arms cache. Officials recovered explosive vests, sniper rifles, light machine guns, mortars, and a fully equipped workshop for manufacturing and booby-traps and explosive devices.
Intelligence Led to Preemptive Strike
Nouruddin al-Baba, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, confirmed to Levant 24 that the operation followed “solid leads and conclusive evidence” gathered through interagency cooperation.
“We, the intelligence, are following the ISIS issue with great interest, and there is a high level of coordination between intelligence agencies and the Ministry of Interior,” Baba said. “These ISIS members were targeting five Iraqi figures present in Syria under refugee status. The [ISIS] members were arrested, and the weapons and explosives they had with them were seized.”
Photographs released by the Ministry of Interior showed the arrested suspects and confiscated materials. The detainees have been transferred to the Counter-Terrorism Department for further investigation, pending prosecution.
Interior Minister Praises Security Forces
Interior Minister Anas Khattab acknowledged the operation publicly on Thursday, hailing the security and intelligence services as the “safety valve” of the nation.
“The men of internal security, along with the intelligence aparatus, are still proving day after day that they are the safety valve of this good country and its great people,” Khattab said in a statement posted to his X account. “We promise our people in beloved Syria continued efforts and perseverance in the fight against terrorism in all its forms.”
Thursday’s arrests follow a series of security actions across Syria aimed at suppressing an ISIS resurgence. In July, internal forces engaged suspects in the city of Binish, while in June, authorities disrupted ISIS activity in the Damascus countryside linked to a church bombing. Security officials said today’s operation dealt a significant blow to ISIS infrastructure in northern Syria but emphasized that efforts to root out terrorist cells remain ongoing.
