This is Beirut

Rubio Praises Iraq’s Detention of ISIS Members, Warns Against Iranian Influence

This is Beirut, 26/01 11:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

US Secretary of State Middle East USA Washington Marco Rubio Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani Iraq Iran ISIS

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday praised the Iraqi government’s “initiative and leadership” in accelerating the transfer and detention of ISIS terrorists to secure facilities inside Iraq. According to a U.S. Department of State press release, Rubio held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani in light of recent ...

More IS Detainees Heading to Iraq from Syria: Iraqi Officials

This is Beirut, 24/01 18:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Iraq USMilitary ISIS

Hundreds of Islamic State group detainees were being transferred from Syria to Iraq on Saturday, the second batch since the US announced plans to relocate the jihadists there, two Iraqi security officials told AFP. "The prisoner transfer operation is ongoing, with US forces transporting detainees by land and air," an Iraqi security official said, ...

Turkey Steps Up Anti-IS Raids, Arresting 125 Suspects

This is Beirut, 2025-12-31 14:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey ISIS raid arrest

Turkey on Wednesday detained another 125 Islamic State group suspects in a string of nationwide raids, a minister said, following warnings that IS militants planned attacks over the holidays. Nearly 600 people have now been detained in anti-IS raids over the past week. "We captured 125 Daesh suspects in simultaneous operations carried out in 25 ...

Who Really Defeated ISIS in Syria?

Mario Chartouni, 2025-12-09 20:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Damascus European Union Washington Russia Syria ISIS

In the narrative promoted by Moscow and Damascus, Russia and Bashar al-Assad’s regime are credited with delivering the decisive blow against ISIS in Syria. This account frames Russia’s military intervention, which began in September 2015, as the turning point in the fight against the terrorist group. Yet, a closer look at the data paints a ...

Kurds at a Crossroads as Middle East Shifts

Seth J. Frantzman , 2025-11-25 21:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Kurds Middle East Syria ISIS Iraq

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi’s November 19 trip to the autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq was an important moment, underscoring that Kurdish leaders now appear to understand the importance of cooperation amid sweeping changes in the region. Abdi—a close partner of the US military in Syria who spent ...

Syrian ISF Arrest Members of a Dangerous ISIS-Affiliated Cell in Latakia

This is Beirut, 2025-11-24 23:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria ISIS Latakia

The Syrian ISF command in Latakia announced on Monday that security units had apprehended members of one of the most dangerous ISIS-aligned cells during a precision operation in the al-Badrusiya area of northern Latakia countryside, as reported by SANA. Brigadier General Abdulaziz Hilal al-Ahmad, Commander of Internal Security in Latakia ...

Syrian Kurdish Forces Say Five Members Killed in IS Attack

This is Beirut, 2025-09-25 17:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Kurds Syria ISIS

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said that an attack on Thursday by Islamic State group militants in Syria's east killed five of its members. IS jihadists, once in control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria, were territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 in a battle spearheaded by the SDF with support from an international ...

Syria Kurds say they Thwarted Escape Bid from Camp for IS Families

This is Beirut, 2025-09-03 14:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Kurds ISIS Al Hol camp

Syrian Kurdish forces said Wednesday they thwarted an escape attempt by more than 50 inmates of Al-Hol camp, which holds people suspected of ties to the Islamic State (IS) group. Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria have run camps hosting thousands of suspected jihadists and their families since the jihadist group lost its last territory in ...

Senior ISIS Leader Killed in US Raid in Syria's Aleppo Province

This is Beirut, 2025-07-25 17:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States ISIS Syria

American forces killed an Islamic State group leader in a raid in Syria's Aleppo province on Friday, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The raid resulted "in the death of senior ISIS leader, Dhiya Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, and his two adult ISIS-affiliated sons," CENTCOM said in a statement, using an acronym for the jihadist ...

ISIS Ideology Persists in Lebanon, Recruitment Attempts Thwarted

Bassam Abou Zeid, 2025-06-29 08:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon ISIS Daesh Terrorism

Is ISIS truly active in Lebanon? Following the suicide bombing that targeted Mar Elias Church in Damascus, concerns have resurfaced over ISIS’ threat in Lebanon. Notably, the political base of Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) sought to exploit the tragedy to justify, firstly, the persisting presence of illegal weapons, and ...

The Return of ISIS in Syria: Who’s Pulling the Strings?

Badih Karhani, 2025-06-28 18:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria ISIS Ansar al-Sunna

The deadly June 22 attack on the Mar Elias Church in Damascus, which killed at least 25 people, has brought back into focus a lingering threat: the Islamic State group, commonly known as ISIS (or Daesh). While the terrorist organization appeared weakened in recent years, a new affiliated jihadist faction, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, claimed ...

The Lingering Specter of the Islamic State in Lebanon

Mario Chartouni, 2025-06-27 17:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon ISIS Nahr el-Bared Palestinians Islamists Tripoli Lebanese Army

The Lebanese Army announced on Tuesday the arrest of a man identified as R.F., also known as “Qassoura,” who is believed to be the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Lebanon. The operation, conducted by the Directorate of Intelligence, led to the confiscation of a large cache of weapons, ammunition, electronic devices, and materials used ...

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