Joint Syrian-Coalition Operation Captures ISIS "Governor of Damascus" in High-Stakes Raid

Syrian authorities announced early Thursday the capture of a high-ranking ISIS leader, identified as "Abu Omar Tabiah" (the self-proclaimed "Governor of Damascus"), during a "precise security operation" in Moadamiyet al-Sham, rural Damascus. Brigadier General Ahmed al-Dalati confirmed that the raid was executed by Syrian special units in close coordination with General Intelligence and International Coalition forces. Several aides were also detained, and suicide belts and weapons were seized.

This operation highlights the deepening military cooperation between Damascus and Washington following President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington in November, where Syria formally joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. The arrest follows intensified U.S. airstrikes by CENTCOM against over 70 targets in central Syria, retaliation for a mid-December attack near Palmyra that claimed the lives of three Americans.