The Internal Security Command in Idlib Governorate, cooperating with the Counter-Terrorism Department of the General Intelligence Service, arrested eight members of an ISIS-affiliated terrorist cell and neutralized one other during security operations, as announced in a Ministry of Interior statement posted on X between 5:46 p.m. and 7:16 p.m. UTC on December 16, 2025. The operations followed intensified investigations after a terrorist attack on a road security patrol in the Maarat al-Numan area, where security units identified the perpetrators' vehicle through field intelligence and monitoring, according to the Ministry of Interior statement shared by Syria 24 and Syrianmoi on X. The detainees confessed to responsibility for three terrorist operations: targeting the road security patrol in Maarat al-Numan, attacking Ministry of Defense members on Saraqib Bridge in Idlib countryside, and an armed assault on customs police in the Zerba area of Aleppo countryside, the statement detailed. Security units seized explosive belts, silencers, M-D-type missiles, and M4 machine guns prepared for further attacks during the two operations, the Ministry of Interior reported. The Ministry confirmed ongoing pursuits of terrorist organization cells and referral of those arrested to the judiciary, emphasizing measures to protect citizens and secure roads and facilities.
