Conflict & Security
Syrian security operations net Damascus bombing cell and senior ISIS leader
July 13, 2026 at 06:40 PM
Coverage
4 reports · over 64 hours
Syrian authorities have arrested the full cell behind recent bombings in Damascus, a senior ISIS commander, and uncovered additional plots in a series of security operations.
- The Syrian Interior Ministry announced the arrest of the entire cell responsible for the July 7 bombings near Victoria Bridge in Damascus, which killed one person and wounded dozens.
- The ministry later said its forces detained ISIS leader Firas al-Dagher, who had served as the group’s “wali” for Lebanon and Palestine, during raids in Damascus and its countryside.
- The cell confessed to carrying out a May bombing targeting the Defense Ministry’s armament department and to assassinating two Interior Ministry personnel and a civilian, the ministry stated.
- On July 12, a person was killed when an explosive device he was transporting detonated on the Damascus–Suwayda road; the Interior Ministry said he intended to plant it on the road.