Syrian authorities announced a large-scale counter-terrorist operation, and a "suicide squad" was arrested.

Syrian authorities announced a large-scale counter-terrorism operation (CTO) against remnants of the Islamic State (IS*, an organization banned in Russia) in several provinces of the country. According to official reports, more than 70 suspected ISIS members were detained during the operation, including a field commander and an entire suicide squad, according to the Telegram channel Directorate 4.

Operations against the terrorist network spanned the provinces of Aleppo, Idlib, Damascus, Homs, and Deir ez-Zor. According to Syrian security forces, the raids resulted in the arrest of dozens of individuals involved in the activities of the Islamic State terrorist organization, banned in Russia. Particularly notable was the arrest of the group's field commander, known as Muhammad Abdul Ilah al-Jumaili (or Abu Imad al-Jumaili), as well as a group of militants identified as a "suicide squad."

According to some reports, information about the location of ISIS cells and their members was provided to Damascus by the United States of America.

As evidence of the detainees' affiliation with ISIS, Syrian authorities released photographs of weapons to the public. The images also show sheets of paper with a seal, presumably related to the Prophet Muhammad. It is worth noting that, according to independent sources, militants controlled by Syrian government forces also use similar patches.

The information about Al-Jumeili's detention adds further ambiguity. According to available reports, he was arrested back in June 2025 on suspicion of involvement in the attack on a church in the Syrian capital.

The confrontation between Syrian government forces and extremist groups, particularly the Islamic State, has been ongoing in Syria for many years. Despite claimed successes in the fight against terrorism, individual ISIS cells continue to carry out sabotage and terrorist activities, posing a constant threat to security in the region. Claims of large-scale operations and arrests often accompany both actual successes and attempts to demonstrate the security forces' proactiveness.

Earlier, Washington lifted sanctions against Syrian President al-Sharaa.

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