In recent weeks, Syria’s security forces have ramped up operations against Islamic State (ISIS) cells amid a surge in attacks targeting government personnel. A joint operation by the Internal Security Command in Idlib province and the Counter-Terrorism Department of the General Intelligence Directorate recently dismantled an ISIS-affiliated cell responsible for deadly assaults that killed seven Syrian army and security members.
Days prior, ISIS militants ambushed a road security patrol in Maarat al-Numan, south of Idlib, killing four personnel and seriously wounding another. The attackers opened fire on the vehicle before fleeing. Earlier, in Palmyra, Ministry of Interior units arrested five suspects following an incident linked to the deaths of three American personnel in a joint convoy.
The Ministry of Interior is escalating targeted campaigns to neutralize these resurgent cells, which have claimed lives among Syrian army, General Security, and Customs Police forces.
A senior source in the Internal Security Command told Al-Tura Syria that the strategy emphasizes preemptive strikes, bolstered intelligence gathering, and heightened surveillance in areas prone to sleeper cells. Agencies coordinate closely among the Internal Security Command, Counter-Terrorism Department, and General Intelligence Directorate for swift information sharing and rapid responses. “This phase demands elevated readiness to prevent ISIS regrouping,” the source stated.
The approach prioritizes precise, intelligence-driven operations over broad sweeps to minimize civilian risks, drawing on technical monitoring, human intelligence, and detainee interrogations. Recent measures include reinforced mobile checkpoints and intensified night patrols along key roads and former ISIS hotspots, which have already foiled potential attacks.
Efforts also focus on disrupting logistical networks by targeting financiers and supply chains for weapons and explosives. “These operations have significantly impaired ISIS’s capacity for high-impact attacks,” the source added. Looking ahead, security forces pledge proactive, large-scale initiatives to exploit no security vacuums.
Last month, the Ministry announced wide-ranging operations dismantling multiple ISIS cells across provinces, in coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate.
Writer and researcher Dr. Basil Ma’rawi, in comments to Al-Tura Syria, explained ISIS’s shift from territorial control to guerrilla tactics after losing safe havens and popular support. The group now decentralizes authority to regional commanders, maintaining 30% of forces in active readiness while keeping others dormant.
Ma’rawi suggested ISIS delayed escalation—beyond isolated incidents like the thwarted plot at Sayyida Zainab shrine and the Damascus church explosion—wagering on the new government’s collapse and defections for recruitment, particularly amid anticipated concessions on governance or alliances.
However, President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s consolidation of loyalty and Syria’s integration into the international anti-ISIS coalition shifted dynamics. ISIS responded by relocating assets from SDF-controlled areas to government-held provinces, intensifying strikes on security forces.
Ma’rawi noted the coalition partnership as a calculated strategy between Damascus and Washington, undeterred by setbacks like Palmyra. It promises deeper coordination, reduced U.S. ground exposure, enhanced aerial and intelligence support, and potential integration of trusted SDF elements into Interior Ministry forces.
ISIS has adapted to lighter weaponry and small-unit operations in deserts, cities, and suburbs, deliberately avoiding minority or civilian targets to evade broader backlash.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
