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ISIS Plotted to Seize Syria's Hasakeh, Declare Formation of New Group

Kurdish security forces deploy in Syria's northern city of Hasakeh on January 22 amid ongoing fighting with the ISIS group following a prison attack. (AFP)
Kurdish security forces deploy in Syria's northern city of Hasakeh on January 22 amid ongoing fighting with the ISIS group following a prison attack. (AFP)
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ISIS Plotted to Seize Syria's Hasakeh, Declare Formation of New Group

Kurdish security forces deploy in Syria's northern city of Hasakeh on January 22 amid ongoing fighting with the ISIS group following a prison attack. (AFP)
Kurdish security forces deploy in Syria's northern city of Hasakeh on January 22 amid ongoing fighting with the ISIS group following a prison attack. (AFP)

ISIS was plotting to seize Syria's Hasakeh city and launch new operations to seize the province in wake of this year's prison break by members of the terrorist organization, revealed a member of a sleeper cell of the group.

The Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) released the confessions of the detainee, Abdullah Ismail Ahmed.

Ahmed, 28, hails from the town of al-Hol in Hasakeh. He confessed to joining ISIS in 2014. He started off as a fighter, then rose up the ranks to become a administrative official and was later appointed a leader of a brigade that was tasked with carrying out terrorist attacks in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. He led military operations in Hasakeh and its countryside after ISIS' military defeat and the loss of its territories in 2019.

Ahmed revealed that the jailbreak at Gweiran Prison in January was supposed to be a top secret mission. He was ordered to carry it out by "Abdulaziz", the ISIS "wali", or ruler, of Hasakeh.

The plot was to be carried out in three phases. The first would see the release of several leading ISIS inmates, the second would see the capture of the prison with the aid of the terrorist inmates and the third would see the capture of areas in the vicinity of the facility and eventually territories leading to the al-Hol camp and the Iraqi-Syrian border.

A new organization would be declared and it would have carried out terrorist attacks to strike fear in the population and weaken the SDF.

However, the plot was thwarted by the SDF's staunch defense of the prison and the major support they received from the US-led international coalition to defeat ISIS.

Gweiran Prison held some 5,000 ISIS detainees.

The weeklong fighting left 350 ISIS members and 130 SDF fighters dead.

The SDF announced Ahmed's arrest in April.

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UN Peacekeepers Say Troops Attacked by Individuals in South Lebanon

A joint force from UNIFIL and the Lebanese army in Naqoura near the Israeli border (Archive - AFP)
A joint force from UNIFIL and the Lebanese army in Naqoura near the Israeli border (Archive - AFP)
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UN Peacekeepers Say Troops Attacked by Individuals in South Lebanon

A joint force from UNIFIL and the Lebanese army in Naqoura near the Israeli border (Archive - AFP)
A joint force from UNIFIL and the Lebanese army in Naqoura near the Israeli border (Archive - AFP)

United Nations peacekeepers said rock-throwing individuals confronted them during a patrol on Tuesday in south Lebanon, calling repeated targeting of their troops "unacceptable".

The UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed since 1978 to separate Lebanon and Israel, sits on a five-member committee to supervise the ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

In a statement, UNIFIL said peacekeepers conducting "a planned patrol" coordinated with the Lebanese army were "confronted by a group of individuals in civilian clothing in the vicinity of Hallusiyat al-Tahta, in southern Lebanon".

"The group attempted to obstruct the patrol using aggressive means, including throwing stones at the peacekeepers," the statement read, adding that "one peacekeeper was struck" but no injuries were reported, AFP reported.

The situation was defused when the Lebanese army intervened, allowing the peacekeeping force to continue its patrol.

"It is unacceptable that UNIFIL peacekeepers continue to be targeted," the statement added.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP a Finnish soldier was slapped during the confrontation.

A witness, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said an altercation ensued between locals and the Lebanese army, who were searching for the man who slapped the peacekeeper.

One man opposing the army was injured and hospitalized, the witness said.

In a statement, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he "strongly condemns the repeated attacks" on UNIFIL forces and called for the attackers to be stopped and held accountable.

There have been several confrontations between people in south Lebanon, where Hezbollah holds sway, and UN peacekeepers in recent weeks.

Confrontations are typically defused by the Lebanese army and rarely escalate.

In December 2022, an Irish peacekeeper was killed in a shooting at a UN armoured vehicle in the south. Hezbollah surrendered a man accused of the crime, but he was released around a year later.

The November ceasefire agreement, which sought to end over a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, states that only Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers may be deployed in the country's south.

Israel is supposed to have fully withdrawn its troops from Lebanon according to the deal, but has remained in five positions it deems strategic and has repeatedly bombed the country.