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BEIRUT: Lebanese authorities said on Monday they had detained a Syrian commander from the militant Islamic State group, as Damascus investigates an IS-linked cell accused of bombings during a visit by France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
In a statement, Lebanon’s internal security forces said they arrested the suspect “after careful monitoring and follow-up operations” on June 30 and that he was the group’s leader in central and southern Syria.
Last year, Lebanon’s military said it arrested a suspected IS leader in the country.
Lebanon and Syria share a porous, 330-kilometre border.
Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2026
