Syrian security forces, with the support of a US-led coalition, have arrested the ISIS leader for Damascus in an operation to the south-west of the capital, authorities announced on Thursday.
The operation came as part of an intensified campaign to break up ISIS cells following a recent attack on American troops near Palmyra.
Security units in the Damascus countryside, working with the General Intelligence Directorate and the US-led coalition to defeat ISIS, raided a hideout in the city of Maadamiya after what officials said were weeks of intelligence monitoring and surveillance.
The operation led to the arrest of Taha Al Zoubi, known by the nom de guerre Abu Omar Tibiya, whom authorities identified as ISIS’s so-called “wali of Damascus”, along with several of his aides, according to a statement by the Ministry of Interior.
Brig Gen Ahmad Al Dalati, head of Internal Security in Damascus Countryside, said a suicide belt and a military-grade weapon were seized during the raid.
“Our specialised units, in co-operation with the General Intelligence Directorate and International Coalition forces, carried out a precise security operation targeting one of ISIS’s hideouts in Maadamiya following extensive monitoring and intensive intelligence surveillance,” he said.
Syrian officials said the arrest dealt a significant blow to ISIS’s remaining networks in and around the capital, at a time when authorities have stepped up operations against sleeper cells across central and eastern Syria.
The crackdown follows a deadly ISIS attack this month on American troops in the Palmyra area, which prompted renewed security sweeps as Damascus rebuilds its relations with the US.
In retaliation, the US military launched large-scale strikes on dozens of ISIS targets in Syria. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said the strikes targeted "ISIS fighters, infrastructure and weapons sites" in what was known as Operation Hawkeye Strike.
Brig Gen Al Dalati said Syrian security forces remained on high alert and would continue operations against what he described as “the remnants of terrorism”.
“We send a clear message to anyone who engages in terrorism or supports ISIS,” he said. “There will be no safe haven.”
Syria's government is led by former rebels who toppled president Bashar Al Assad last year after a 13-year civil war, and includes members of Syria's former Al Qaeda branch who broke with the group and clashed with ISIS.
Syria has been co-operating with a US-led coalition against ISIS, reaching an agreement last month when President Ahmad Al Shara visited the White House.
