Syrian security forces, backed by the Intelligence Service, arrested eight members of an ISIS cell and killed its leader in Idlib Governorate during operations targeting attacks along the M5 Highway, seizing suicide belts, silenced weapons, a thermal scope, and anti-tank missiles, according to the Interior Ministry as reported by QalaatAlMudiq over the past hour. The arrests followed an intelligence-led investigation into a recent attack on a highway security patrol in the Maaret al-Numan area, where forces identified the suspects' vehicle, the Interior Ministry stated in a report shared by QalaatAlMudiq and Trutherbotx2 between 7:16 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. UTC on December 16, 2025. The ISIS cell confessed responsibility for three attacks: the Maaret al-Numan patrol assault, an attack on Ministry of Defense members at Saraqib Bridge in Idlib countryside, and an armed assault on customs police in the Zerba area of Aleppo countryside, per the earlier Ministry of Interior statement posted between 5:46 p.m. and 7:16 p.m. UTC. Security units seized explosive belts, silencers, M-D-type missiles, and M4 machine guns prepared for further attacks, the Ministry confirmed, with the new reports detailing the full assassin kit during the 59-minute reporting window ending at 8:15 p.m. UTC.
