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US Airstrikes Target Multiple ISIS Camps in Syria

US soldiers are seen during a joint military exercise between US-led forces and members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on September 7, 2022. (AFP)
US soldiers are seen during a joint military exercise between US-led forces and members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on September 7, 2022. (AFP)
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US Airstrikes Target Multiple ISIS Camps in Syria

US soldiers are seen during a joint military exercise between US-led forces and members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on September 7, 2022. (AFP)
US soldiers are seen during a joint military exercise between US-led forces and members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on September 7, 2022. (AFP)

A series of US airstrikes targeted several camps run by ISIS in Syria in an operation the US military said will disrupt the extremists from conducting attacks in the region and beyond.

The US Central Command said the airstrikes were conducted Friday, without specifying in which parts of Syria. About 900 US troops have been deployed in eastern Syria alongside the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that were instrumental in the fight against ISIS militants.

Despite their defeat, attacks by ISIS sleeper cells in Iraq and Syria have been on the rise over the past years, with scores of people killed or wounded.

ISIS seized territory at the height of its power and declared a caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, but was defeated in Iraq in 2017. In March 2019, the extremists lost the last sliver of land they once controlled in eastern Syria.

The US military said the strikes will disrupt the ability of the ISIS group to plan, organize and conduct attacks against the United States, its allies and partners, and civilians throughout the region and beyond.

It said battle damage assessments were underway and there were no civilian casualties.

Last month, Iraq’s military said that Iraqi forces and American troops killed a senior ISIS commander who was wanted by the United States, as well as several other prominent militants.

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No Safe Zones in Lebanon as Fears Grip Host Communities

Displaced children from southern Lebanon at the Azarieh Building in central Beirut. (AFP)
Displaced children from southern Lebanon at the Azarieh Building in central Beirut. (AFP)
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No Safe Zones in Lebanon as Fears Grip Host Communities

Displaced children from southern Lebanon at the Azarieh Building in central Beirut. (AFP)
Displaced children from southern Lebanon at the Azarieh Building in central Beirut. (AFP)

No area in Lebanon is safe anymore. Every region is now a potential target for Israel, which has carried out strikes across the country.

The latest strike hit a building in Aito, in the Zgharta region in northern Lebanon, where people displaced from Aitaroun in the south were sheltering.

It killed 23 people and injured others. Earlier strikes targeted Maysrah in Keserwan, killing 17 and injuring 21, along with attacks in Beirut’s Noueiri area and several towns in Iqlim al-Kharroub and the Chouf, which caused further casualties.

Israel claims these strikes, outside Hezbollah’s usual strongholds like Beirut’s southern suburbs, the eastern Bekaa region, and the south, were targeting Hezbollah members.

This has left residents of remote host communities, where displaced people have fled, afraid. Many fear that Hezbollah members among the displaced could make their towns targets, as it’s becoming harder to tell civilian from military targets.

In response, tensions are rising in some areas, with certain individuals asked to leave due to their ties to Hezbollah.

Political parties and local authorities are working to prevent conflict, fearing Israel might exploit these tensions to turn host communities against the displaced, increasing pressure on Hezbollah.

Local parties are in touch with Hezbollah, asking them to remove individuals who might pose a risk to the communities. But this is proving difficult due to Hezbollah’s state of disarray after Israel assassinated its top leaders.

While residents fear becoming Israeli targets, they’re also committed to protecting the displaced. Yet concerns are growing about Hezbollah members among them, especially after the Israeli strike on Aito in Zgharta.

Mount Lebanon, the north, and Beirut host the largest number of displaced people—over 1.2 million. The mainly Druze Progressive Socialist Party has taken action in the Chouf, where it holds influence.

MP Bilal Abdullah called for protecting both displaced people and locals, urging Hezbollah members not to visit crowded areas. Municipalities in Iqlim al-Kharroub, where several towns were hit, have made similar appeals.

Abdullah also mentioned ongoing coordination with security agencies and Hezbollah to keep fighters and officials away from areas with displaced people. He noted the difficulty of this, given Hezbollah’s current disarray.

He hopes the efforts will bring positive results, especially in Iqlim al-Kharroub, where over 120,000 displaced people are now sheltering.

The biggest issue, he said, is rented homes, which municipalities are monitoring, while security forces are responsible for official shelters.