An Iraqi commander linked to ISIS was killed in a joint airborne operation carried out by US-led coalition forces and Syrian units in northwestern Syria, according to Syrian state television on Wednesday. It was the second such coordinated mission involving the newly established Syrian forces.
A security source told state media that coalition troops conducted a helicopter raid targeting a house in the town of Atmeh, near the Turkish border. The strike resulted in the death of Salah Nouman, described as an Iraqi national and a senior ISIS figure.
Nouman was identified as “one of the most dangerous wanted men” for his role in reactivating and directing ISIS sleeper cells inside Syria.
In a separate development, Syrian state media reported that Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani held talks in Paris on Tuesday with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
The discussions reportedly focused on de-escalation efforts and the humanitarian situation in the southern province of Sweida, which witnessed sectarian violence last month.
According to an unnamed Syrian government source cited by state television, both sides stressed their commitment to the “unity of Syrian territory and rejection of any projects aimed at partition.”
The statement stressed that Suweida “is an integral part of Syria” and that the Druze community “forms an essential component of the national fabric.”
