Syria dismantles IS cell amid recent security escalation

Syrian security forces have dismantled an Islamic State (IS) cell responsible for a series of deadly attacks on security and military patrols in the country's northwest, the interior authorities said on Tuesday, amid a recent uptick in security incidents across the country.



In a statement, the authorities said the Internal Security Command in Idlib province, working in coordination with the Counterterrorism Department of the General Intelligence Service, carried out a "precise security operation" that led to the arrest of an IS-affiliated cell involved in multiple terrorist attacks in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo.



The operation followed intensified investigations after a recent attack on a highway patrol in the city of Maaret al-Numan in southern Idlib, which killed several members of the Internal Security Forces. According to the authorities, security units gathered detailed field intelligence that enabled them to identify the vehicle used by the perpetrators.