Syrian security forces arrested a nine-member ISIS cell in Khan Arnabah, Quneitra Province, the Syrian Interior Ministry confirmed on Sunday.
Khan Arnabah is located adjacent to the demilitarized zone that runs along the Israel-Syria border.
The cell carried out tasks for ISIS, including collecting weapons and transporting explosive devices and other related materials, as well as other terror activities intended to support ISIS's operations, the Interior Ministry said.
One of those arrested was cell leader Musab Khalil al-Sheikh, who is also known by the alias "al-Sini" ("the Chinese"), and whom Damascus tied to terror operations across several Syrian provinces, including in the Damascus region.
Sheikh had also operated with a cell that was led by Abu Abdulrahman al-Iraqi, the then-southern commander of ISIS who was killed in Daraa in 2022, the Interior Ministry added.
This comes as part of the "ongoing efforts to track down ISIS members and disrupt the group's supply networks," the Interior Ministry said.
Interior Ministry announces arrest of hundreds of ISIS members during Q2 2026
In June, the Interior Ministry announced that security forces had arrested 235 members of ISIS over the previous three months as part of a broad security campaign aimed at dismantling the group’s active cells and preventing attacks intended to destabilize the country.
The ministry said security and intelligence operations conducted across several Syrian provinces led to the discovery and disruption of seven ISIS operations. Those detained included 198 Syrians and 37 foreign nationals, according to figures released by the ministry.
Additional details released by the Interior Ministry showed that 80 suspects were detained in March, 99 in April, and 56 in May. Authorities said the operations dismantled seven ISIS cells in Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and Deir ez-Zor, leading to the seizure of 22 explosive devices, 25 weapons, six vehicles, and dozens of electronic devices used by the group.
Also in June, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it killed a senior ISIS terrorist, identified as "Ali Husayn al-'Ulaywi" in an airstrike in northeast Syria.
Rizik Alabi/The Media Line contributed to this report.