Syrian security operations intensified this week after the Ministry of Interior revealed the arrest of an armed cell in Tartus. On September 5, officials confirmed that members of the group were detained on August 30 following clashes in the province’s countryside. The ministry said the cell was responsible for the August 18 killing of two Internal Security Forces officers at the entrance of Tartus, as well as a March 6 assault on checkpoints belonging to security and defense units.
Leadership Shifts in Suwayda and Damascus Countryside
The Interior Ministry also confirmed on September 3 changes to Internal Security leadership in Suwayda and Rif Dimashq. Brigadier General Hussam al-Tahhan was reassigned to Suwayda, while Brigadier General Ahmed al-Dalati took command in the Damascus countryside.
The shake-up followed the reopening of the Damascus-Suwayda road after weeks of closure due to unrest. Despite the deployment of security units and checkpoints, civilian traffic has not resumed, with transport companies citing threats from armed groups in the Matla area. Suwayda Governor Mustafa al-Bakour said the reopening was critical for ensuring food and fuel deliveries, though full stability remains uncertain.
Aleppo Sees Renewed Violence and Arrests
Elsewhere, violence surged in Aleppo when Dr. Bassel Zeno, vice dean of the University of Aleppo’s Faculty of Human Medicine, was assassinated on September 2 outside his clinic in Jumailia. Masked gunmen carried out the attack, according to the city’s Internal Security Office. Authorities said several individuals linked to assassinations and terrorist plots have since been detained.
The killing came weeks after the August 18 announcement that the suspect in the assassination of local figure Aladdin Ayoub, known as Farouq Abu Bakr, confessed after surrendering in Aleppo’s countryside.
Drug and Weapons Seizures Target Smuggling Networks
Security forces also made major seizures in recent days. On September 2, officials intercepted a weapons shipment in the Damascus countryside, including RPG launchers and light arms, intended for smuggling to areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces. That same week, authorities discovered 500 kilograms of raw materials for narcotics and Captagon pills hidden in Yafour, west of Damascus, in a joint operation with Turkish intelligence.
The Interior Ministry said those arrested were transferred to the judiciary and reiterated its “relentless efforts” to combat narcotics and organized crime. Additional raids in Latakia on August 27 and in Damascus on August 31 uncovered arms caches and a shipment of 5,000 Captagon pills, reportedly bound for the United Arab Emirates.
Ongoing Threats in Damascus and Daraa
In Damascus, an explosive device targeted a security officer September 3 in the Mezzeh 86 neighborhood. No casualties were reported, though the ministry labeled the blast a “terrorist” attack.
Meanwhile in Daraa, security units seized shells, detonators and land mines inside a house in Nawa on September 4, after a citizen alerted authorities. Officials said the weapons were part of stockpiles left behind by remnants of the Assad regime, which continue to fuel unrest across several provinces.
