Syrian security forces dismantle Daesh terror cell near Damascus

ISF crack down on weapons smuggling and terror cells. (SANA)
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Updated 22 December 2025
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Syrian security forces dismantle Daesh terror cell near Damascus

  • Authorities, in coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate, struck a terrorist hideout and arrested several militants
  • Syria and the US accuse the group of carrying out a deadly ambush against its personnel in Palmyra

LONDON: Syrian internal security units dismantled a cell of the Daesh terror group in the Daraya area southwest of Damascus on Sunday.

Authorities, in coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate, raided a Daesh hideout and arrested several militants.

Syria and the United States have accused the terror group of carrying out a deadly ambush earlier this month that resulted in the deaths of three Americans and injuries to two Syrian service personnel in Palmyra, in central Syria.

Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati, head of internal security in the Damascus countryside, announced that the operation resulted in the dismantling of the cell and the arrest of a Daesh leader, along with six other members. Several weapons and ammunition were also seized, he added.

He said the operation is part of the interior ministry’s broader strategy to eliminate terrorist sources, avert threats to community security, and maintain peace and stability in the country, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

On Friday, the US military launched large-scale retaliatory strikes and group operations against Daesh targets and operatives in Syria.


Iranian military helicopter crashes into fruit market, four dead

Updated 11 sec ago
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Iranian military helicopter crashes into fruit market, four dead

  • The helicopter ​came ‌down ⁠in ​the city ⁠of Dorcheh, causing a fire that was put out by emergency services, the ⁠reports added
DUBAI: An Iranian Army helicopter crashed into a ​fruit market in the central province of Isfahan on Tuesday, killing the pilot, co-pilot and two ‌merchants, state media ‌reported.
The helicopter ​came ‌down ⁠in ​the city ⁠of Dorcheh, causing a fire that was put out by emergency services, the ⁠reports added.
Experts say ‌Iran ‌has a ​poor ‌air safety record, ‌with repeated crashes, many involving aircraft bought before the 1979 Islamic Revolution ‌and lacking original spare parts for maintenance.
Last ⁠week, ⁠a US-built F-4 fighter belonging to Iran’s regular air force crashed in the western province of Hamadan, killing one pilot during a ​training ​flight.