Coalition strikes dismantle ISIS leadership, exposing Islamist terror still destabilizing Arab states across Syria.
A senior leader of the so-called Islamic State was captured late Wednesday near Damascus in a joint operation conducted by Syrian security forces and the U.S.-led international coalition, delivering another blow to jihadist networks that continue to endanger the region.
According to Anadolu Agency, the detainee—Taha al-Zoubi, also known as Abu Omar Tibiya—served as ISIS’s self-proclaimed “governor of Damascus.” He was arrested along with several aides during a carefully coordinated raid following extended intelligence surveillance.
Syrian state broadcaster Al-Ikhbariyah cited Interior Ministry sources confirming that coalition forces, working alongside internal security units, successfully neutralized one of ISIS’s most senior operatives in the capital’s outskirts. The raid took place in the Muaddamiyah district, west of Damascus, after weeks of monitoring by Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate.
Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati, head of Internal Security for the Damascus countryside, told SANA that al-Zoubi and his accomplices were captured while wearing explosive vests—underscoring how close ISIS remains to carrying out mass-casualty attacks inside Arab population centers.
Although ISIS lost most of its territorial control after declaring a so-called caliphate in 2014—following sustained military pressure by the US-led international coalition—its sleeper cells continue to operate across Syria and Iraq, exploiting instability and weak governance.
In recent weeks, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) intensified operations against ISIS infrastructure, destroying weapons caches and striking dozens of targets across central and southern Syria, with support from the Jordanian Armed Forces. These actions followed a deadly ISIS ambush near Palmyra that killed two U.S. service members and a civilian.
The operation highlights a broader regional truth long emphasized by Israel: Islamist terror thrives in fractured Arab states and threatens everyone—Muslims and non-Muslims alike. While Israel confronts jihadist threats at its borders with clarity and resolve, much of the Arab world continues to grapple with the consequences of extremism it failed to uproot early.
ISIS is weakened—but not gone. And only relentless pressure, not appeasement or denial, keeps such movements from resurging.
