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ISIS Relatives Flee en Masse From Ain Issa Camp After Turkish Shelling

Smoke rises near the border town of Tel Abyad, Syria, October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Smoke rises near the border town of Tel Abyad, Syria, October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
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ISIS Relatives Flee en Masse From Ain Issa Camp After Turkish Shelling

Smoke rises near the border town of Tel Abyad, Syria, October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Smoke rises near the border town of Tel Abyad, Syria, October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Women affiliated with ISIS and their children fled en masse from a camp where they were being held in northern Syria on Sunday after shelling by Turkish forces in a five-day-old offensive, the region’s Kurdish-led administration said.

Turkey’s cross-border attack in northern Syria against Kurdish forces widened to target the town of Suluk which was hit by Ankara’s Syrian rebel allies. There were conflicting accounts on the outcome of the fighting.

Turkey is facing threats of possible sanctions from the United States unless it calls off the incursion. Two of its NATO allies, Germany and France, have said they are halting weapons exports to Turkey. The Arab League has denounced the operation.

Ankara launched the assault against the Kurdish YPG militia after US President Donald Trump withdrew some US troops from the border region. Ankara says the YPG is a terrorist group aligned with Kurdish militants waging an insurgency in Turkey.

Turkey’s stated objective is to set up a “safe zone” inside Syria to resettle many of the 3.6 million Syrian war refugees it has been hosting. President Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to send them to Europe if the EU does not back his assault.

But the Turkish incursion has raised international alarm over large-scale displacements of civilians and, amidst the upheaval, the possibility of ISIS militants escaping from prisons run by the Kurdish-led authorities.

The Kurdish-led forces have been the main regional ally of the United States against ISIS in Syria.

The region’s Kurdish-led administration said in a statement that 785 ISIS-affiliated foreigners had fled the camp at Ain Issa.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, citing sources in the camp, said around 100 people had escaped.

In apparent reference to Turkish-backed rebels, the Kurdish-led administration said “mercenaries” attacked the camp where “Daesh elements” - a reference to ISIS - in turn attacked camp guards and opened the gates.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) hold swathes of territory that was once part of ISIS' “caliphate”. The SDF has been keeping thousands of IS jihadists in jail and tens of thousands of their family members in camps.

SDF official Marvan Qamishlo told Reuters there were not have enough guards for the camp, which is north of Raqqa and about 30 km (20 miles) south of the Turkish border.

“The guarding is very weak now,” he said, adding there were now just 60-70 security personnel at the camp compared with a normal level of no less than 700 in the camp of 12,000 people.

TURKISH-LED ADVANCE

Along the front lines, Turkish forces and Syrian rebels entered Suluk, some 10 km (6 miles) from Turkey’s border, the Observatory said on Sunday.

Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency said the rebels seized complete control of Suluk. But the SDF’s Qamishlo said SDF forces had repelled the attack and were still in control.

Suluk is southeast of the Syrian border town of Tel Abyad, one of the two main targets in the incursion, which was bombarded by Turkish howitzers on Sunday afternoon, a witness in the neighboring Turkish town of Akcakale said.

Machinegun fire resounded around the Syrian frontier town of Ras al Ain, 120 km (75 miles) to the east of Tel Abyad, while Turkish artillery continued to target the area, a Reuters reporter across the border in Turkey’s Ceylanpinar said.

Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, known as the National Army, advanced into Ras al Ain on Saturday but by Sunday there were still conflicting reports on which side was prevailing in the town.

The Syrian Observatory said the SDF, in which the YPG comprises the main fighting element, had recovered “almost full control” of Ras al Ain after a counter-attack.

A spokesman for the National Army denied this, saying its forces were still in the positions they took on Saturday.

More than 130,000 people have been displaced from rural areas around Tel Abyad and Ras al Ain as a result of the fighting, the United Nations said on Sunday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said OCHA and other relief agencies estimated up to 400,000 civilians in the Syrian conflict zone may require aid and protection in the coming period.

Erdogan has dismissed the growing international condemnation of the military operation, saying Turkey “will not stop it, no matter what anyone says”.

In the latest criticism, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Erdogan the offensive may worsen the humanitarian situation and undermine progress toward weakening ISIS, urging an end to the operation.

Turkey’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday 480 YPG militants had been “neutralized” since the operation began, a term that commonly means killed. The SDF said 76 of its fighters have been killed.

The Observatory said 104 SDF fighters, 76 Turkey-backed rebels, and 52 civilians had been killed in the conflict.

In Turkey, 18 civilians have been killed in cross-border bombardment, Turkish media and officials say.

The SDF on Saturday urged the US-led coalition to close air space to Turkish jets, saying SDF fighters were “being martyred by Turkish warplanes in front of the eyes of the allies”.

ISIS claimed responsibility for a car bomb on Friday in Qamishli, the largest city in the Kurdish-held area, where some ISIS militants fled from a jail.

On Saturday Trump defended his decision to withdraw troops in the Syrian border region, telling conservative Christian activists that the United States should prioritize protecting its own borders.

“Let them have their borders, but I don’t think our soldiers should be there for the next 50 years guarding a border between Turkey and Syria when we can’t guard our own borders at home,” Trump said in a speech in Washington.

The SDF accused Turkey-backed rebels of killing a Kurdish politician in a road ambush on Saturday. The rebel force denied it, saying it had not advanced that far.

The Syrian Observatory said Turkey-backed groups had killed nine civilians on the road, including Hervin Khalaf, co-chair of the secular Future Syria Party.

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Arab World

Paris Meeting Sets Three Priorities to Back Lebanese Army

A convoy of the Spanish battalion of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon passes through Qlayaa in southern Lebanon on Oct. 12, 2024 (DPA)
A convoy of the Spanish battalion of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon passes through Qlayaa in southern Lebanon on Oct. 12, 2024 (DPA)
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Paris Meeting Sets Three Priorities to Back Lebanese Army

A convoy of the Spanish battalion of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon passes through Qlayaa in southern Lebanon on Oct. 12, 2024 (DPA)
A convoy of the Spanish battalion of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon passes through Qlayaa in southern Lebanon on Oct. 12, 2024 (DPA)

Paris will host a four party meeting on Thursday bringing together representatives of France, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Lebanon, amid fears that an Israeli escalation could upend a ceasefire agreement in place for more than a year.

French officials say Paris senses an imminent threat facing Lebanon in light of repeated and public Israeli threats to resume the war.

France is also concerned about uncertainty surrounding the US position on Israel’s intentions, with a prevailing French view that President Donald Trump’s administration is not inclined to restrain Israel.

Israel accuses the Lebanese army of failing to carry out commitments made by the government under the first phase of a plan to disarm Hezbollah in the area south of the Litani River.

Caught between Israeli pressure on one side and Hezbollah’s refusal to hand over its weapons on the other, Paris has been searching for a way out and for a clear, visible means of protecting Lebanon.

French officials want to demonstrate that the Lebanese army, contrary to prevailing claims, is doing what is required of it regarding Hezbollah’s weapons.

A new mechanism to track disarmament

Against this backdrop, France has put forward a proposal to establish a new “mechanism” to clearly document the actions taken by the Lebanese army, based on tangible and verifiable evidence.

Paris has also suggested that elements of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, accompany army units during inspection and seizure operations, document them and make the results public. The aim is to provide concrete proof of the army’s seriousness and of the outcomes achieved.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot summed up the proposal by saying France is “working on a second mechanism to monitor the disarmament of Hezbollah.”

A large scale tour organized by the army leadership in the south on Dec. 15, led by army commander General Rodolphe Haykal and attended by several ambassadors and military attachés, along with an earlier visit by representatives of UN Security Council member states and a separate tour for Lebanese and international media, were all part of efforts to show the government’s and the army’s commitment to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and to rebut claims of government foot dragging and military shortcomings.

In recent weeks, Paris has stepped up its engagement on the Lebanese file. Thursday’s meeting caps a diplomatic push that has included, in less than a month, two visits by Anne Claire Legendre, President Emmanuel Macron’s adviser for Middle East and Arab affairs, and Jean-Yves Le Drian, a former foreign minister and Macron’s personal envoy to Lebanon.

As part of this effort, Legendre has made regional visits, most notably to Saudi Arabia.

Macron himself has held a series of key calls focused on two tracks: a conference expected in the coming weeks to support the Lebanese army and security forces, and a separate conference on economic support and reconstruction.

No dates have yet been set for either event.

Importance of Haykal’s participation

Well informed sources in Paris say Thursday’s meeting will focus on three main priorities.

The first is reviewing the work of the “mechanism” tasked with monitoring the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, and considering how to enhance it through the new mechanism outlined by Barrot.

Another development concerns the mechanism’s expanded membership, which now includes a Lebanese diplomat, former ambassador Simon Karam, and an Israeli representative, Yuri Resnik, director of foreign policy at Israel’s National Security Council.

Israel and Washington are pressing to broaden the scope of discussions to include economic and political issues, a move that has raised Lebanese concerns and drawn opposition from Hezbollah.

US envoy for Lebanon Morgan Ortagus and Le Drian, both attending the Paris meeting, are expected to travel to Lebanon afterward to take part in a meeting of the mechanism.

That adds to the importance of the five party committee, which has failed, more than a year after its creation, to halt near daily Israeli operations.

The US ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa, will also attend Thursday’s meeting, his first such gathering since formally taking up his post.

Curbing Israeli escalation in Lebanon is the second priority of the meeting, which Haykal will attend alongside a series of engagements at the foreign ministry, defense ministry and presidential palace.

Haykal’s participation is seen as especially significant, as it will give him the opportunity to present a comprehensive account of the difficulties facing army units in carrying out their missions, foremost among them Israel’s refusal to withdraw from five additional positions it still holds on Lebanese territory.

The Lebanese army commander is also expected to outline the achievements of his forces over the past four months south of the Litani River, as well as his plan for other parts of Lebanon, aimed at restricting weapons to the hands of the Lebanese state.

Attention will also focus on Ortagus’s presentation on US plans for Lebanon, including efforts to push Lebanon toward negotiations with Israel on political and economic issues, as well as the timelines Washington is setting for Lebanon to complete the process of placing weapons exclusively under state control.

The long awaited army support conference

The central theme of Thursday’s Paris meeting, however, is expected to be support for the Lebanese army and security forces as an essential preparatory step that cannot be bypassed ahead of the long promised conference to back the army.

Two key questions remain unanswered: where the conference will be held, whether in Paris or another capital, and when it will take place. It had previously been expected before the end of the year, but that now appears unlikely.

Paris does not hide its concern that confidence in Lebanon has been badly damaged in the past, not only among potential donors in the Gulf but also elsewhere.

As a result, external parties are increasingly insisting on evaluating results and are linking military and economic assistance to concrete outcomes, whether on the security front or in economic reforms.

Another issue that could make its way onto the Paris agenda is the Lebanese Syrian border, which has seen sporadic tensions. Paris believes the border needs to be demarcated to prevent it from being used by Hezbollah as an additional justification for retaining its weapons.

France says it is ready to help both Lebanon and Syria, but stresses the need to rebuild trust between the two. Lebanon wants assurances that Syria will not again become a party that routinely violates its sovereignty, while Damascus fears Hezbollah could play a destabilizing role inside Syria.

Arab World

Damascus Foils New Weapons Smuggling Attempt into Lebanon

Missiles intended for smuggling found by Syrian forces (Syrian Interior Ministry X Account)
Missiles intended for smuggling found by Syrian forces (Syrian Interior Ministry X Account)
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Damascus Foils New Weapons Smuggling Attempt into Lebanon

Missiles intended for smuggling found by Syrian forces (Syrian Interior Ministry X Account)
Missiles intended for smuggling found by Syrian forces (Syrian Interior Ministry X Account)

The new Syrian government is stepping up an aggressive campaign to seal its border with Lebanon, seeking to dismantle smuggling routes that under Bashar al-Assad’s rule served as a critical lifeline for Hezbollah, channeling weapons and money from Iran.

In this context, the Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that the Internal Security Directorate in the Zabadani area of the Damascus countryside had thwarted an attempt to smuggle a shipment of weapons bound for Lebanon.

The ministry said in a statement published on its Telegram channel that, following close security surveillance of those involved, security forces carried out a tightly planned ambush in the border town of Serghaya, which falls under the Zabadani area, leading to the seizure of the shipment.

It said the cache included large quantities of RPG shells that had been carefully concealed in preparation for smuggling across the border.

The statement said the seized weapons were confiscated in accordance with legal procedures and transferred to the relevant authorities to take the necessary legal action. It added that the operation was part of ongoing efforts by the Interior Ministry to combat smuggling, secure the borders, and protect national security and stability.

Since the overthrow of the Assad regime on Dec. 8 last year, and the near complete end of Iran’s military presence and that of Hezbollah fighters on Syrian territory, the new authorities have sought to tighten control over borders with neighboring countries.

These efforts include pursuing drug smuggling networks, remnants of the Assad regime, and preventing weapons smuggling.

Over the past year since Syria’s liberation, the new authorities have announced the foiling of numerous attempts to smuggle weapons into Lebanon.

Informed sources in the western Qalamoun region along the Lebanese border near the Bekaa said the new Syrian authorities were making sustained efforts to control the border and prevent smuggling in all its forms.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Syrian authorities currently control most of the border with Lebanon, but said this did not mean all smuggling routes had been sealed.

They noted that Hezbollah, even before the outbreak of the Syrian uprising in 2011 and during years of fighting alongside the Assad regime, built weapons depots and supply tunnels in border areas with the Bekaa, including western Qalamoun, which includes the Zabadani area.

The sources said the new authorities had seized a large number of those depots during their operations, confiscated the weapons inside them, and destroyed supply tunnels.

However, they said most of the depots built by Hezbollah inside Syrian territory were not visible, suggesting that a number of them may not yet have been discovered.

Observers say that following the end of Hezbollah’s presence, and that of Iran, in Syria, the group is attempting through sleeper cells inside Syrian territory to smuggle what remains of its weapons stockpiles from undiscovered depots.

They said this comes amid a decline in Hezbollah’s military capabilities after the war waged against it by Israel last year, and amid reports raising the possibility of a new Israeli war against the group.

In September last year, the head of internal security in the Damascus countryside, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Dalati, said specialized units, in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service, had arrested a Hezbollah cell operating in the towns of Saasaa and Kanaker in western Damascus countryside after close surveillance and intensive fieldwork.

Al-Dalati said initial investigations showed that members of the cell had received training in camps inside Lebanese territory and were planning to carry out operations inside Syria that would threaten the security and stability of citizens.

He said the operation led to the seizure of rocket launch platforms, 19 Grad rockets, anti armor missiles, individual weapons, and large quantities of assorted ammunition.

The case was referred to the competent authorities to pursue legal procedures, while security agencies continued interrogations to uncover all links and objectives, al-Dalati said.

In a separate incident, the Internal Security Directorate in the Qusayr area of the Homs countryside seized a shipment of Kornet missiles on Oct. 11 that was being prepared for smuggling out of the country.

The missiles were being transported on two motorcycles, in the second such operation within two weeks.

The Interior Ministry said at the time that the seizure followed precise intelligence gathering and continuous monitoring of illegal weapons sources, resulting in the full confiscation of the shipment.

It said investigations were ongoing to identify all those involved, determine the sources of the weapons, and take deterrent legal action.

On Nov. 10, Internal Security Command in Homs province arrested a suspect identified as A.S. on charges of trafficking weapons and ammunition, following close field surveillance.

An official statement said the arrest came after precise information was received indicating his involvement in the trade of anti armor missiles and assorted ammunition.

Security sources said units recently discovered a warehouse in the Homs countryside containing light and medium weapons and assorted ammunition. The cache was being used as a supply source for outlawed groups seeking to destabilize the area, according to Sham News Network.

Additional quantities of weapons were also found distributed among villages and towns in western Homs countryside. The weapons were confiscated in accordance with legal regulations after it was determined they had been carefully concealed.

The directorate said the operations fall within the Interior Ministry’s strategy to secure borders and combat smuggling, in a way that supports national security and enhances stability along the border areas with Lebanon.

Arab World

Lebanese Army Discovers Hezbollah Tunnel in South

Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)
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Lebanese Army Discovers Hezbollah Tunnel in South

Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)

The Lebanese army has uncovered a tunnel built by Hezbollah in the southern town of Touline after carrying out an excavation at the request of the ceasefire oversight committee known as the Mechanism, Lebanese media reported. The site had previously been struck by an Israeli attack, according to the reports.

This was not the first time the Lebanese army has inspected sites at the request of the Mechanism or following Israeli threats, as part of coordination between the military, the committee overseeing the cessation of hostilities and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

A similar inspection took place last week when the army conducted a thorough search of a building in the southern town of Yanouh after Israel threatened to strike the house.

No weapons were found. After the Lebanese army deployed, the Israeli military announced it had temporarily suspended the strike it had threatened on what it described as Hezbollah military infrastructure in the town.

The developments came as Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon continued, with an air raid on Wednesday hitting the town of Kfar Kila. No casualties were reported, said the state-run National News Agency.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri described the Mechanism as a “platform for discussion and a framework for oversight and verification of compliance with agreements”, stressing that Lebanon has adhered to its commitments since the first day of the 2024 ceasefire, while Israeli violations have continued.

On Hezbollah’s weapons, Mitri said during the opening session of the eighth conference of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut that Lebanese army commander General Rodolphe Haykal had proposed a five-phase plan starting with strengthening the army’s capabilities.

He stressed that extending state authority in the area surrounding the Litani River was making gradual progress, with the army nearing completion of its mission south of the Litani in preparation for moving to later phases.

On reconstruction, Mitri added that the international community was making the extension of state authority a key condition for support. He hoped that Arab states would play a supportive role through their international relations.

The developments come ahead of a new meeting of the Mechanism tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, scheduled for Dec. 19.

It will be the second meeting attended by the head of the Lebanese delegation, Ambassador Simon Karam, after his participation alongside an Israeli civilian in the previous session earlier this month, marking the first direct talks between the two countries.

President Joseph Aoun met Karam on Wednesday and provided him with guidance ahead of the meeting.

The ceasefire monitoring committee includes Lebanon, Israel, France, the United States and the United Nations.

The ceasefire agreement stipulates a halt to hostilities, the withdrawal of Hezbollah north of the Litani River, leading to its disarmament across Lebanon, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from positions they occupied during the latest war.

Israel, however, maintains a presence at five “strategic” sites inside Lebanese territory, while Hezbollah refuses to disarm.