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The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Lebanon fears extremist attacks after ISIS-linked arrest and Syria bombing, security officials say
Lebanon fears potential attacks by extremist groups following a deadly church bombing in Syria, a security official in Beirut told The National. Last week, the Lebanese army announced the arrest of the suspected leader of ISIS in Lebanon, accusing him of planning several 'security operations'. The man, identified as RF and also known by the alias Qasoura, was captured after a series of surveillance and intelligence efforts by the military's Intelligence Directorate. Weapons, ammunition and drone-making equipment were seized during the raid, the army said. 'He was educated, a school teacher of chemistry with experience in telecommunications and surveillance,' a security source told The National on Sunday. The army described him as a "prominent leader of the terrorist organisation Daesh" and said he had assumed control of the group's Lebanon branch following the arrests of several senior figures in December, including his predecessor, known as Abu Saeed Al Shami. Authorities fear that dormant ISIS and other extremist cells in Lebanon could now be activated in retaliation or as part of a wider plan to destabilise the country. 'Lebanon's security situation is fragile, both along the Syrian border and internally, especially in the north,' a second security official said. 'There are also reports about sleeper cells planning attacks against the army.' The concerns come amid renewed instability in neighbouring Syria, where a suicide bomber killed at least 25 people at a Damascus church earlier this month. Syrian authorities blamed ISIS for the attack. Though largely driven underground after a major military defeat in 2017, ISIS and other Sunni extremist groups have fought bloody battles with the Lebanese army in the past and carried out bombings targeting Hezbollah and its supporters. Now, with Syria's political landscape shifting after the collapse of President Bashar Al Assad's regime last year, Lebanese officials warn that the threat is far from over.
Reuters
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US orders departure of family members and non-emergency US personnel from Lebanon
BEIRUT/ WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Lebanon citing the volatile security situation in the region, a State Department notice emailed to U.S. citizens in Lebanon showed on Sunday. The world awaited Iran's response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. had "obliterated" Tehran's most sensitive nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. The U.S. had last year ordered the departure of family members and non-essential staff during Israel's war in Lebanon that had dealt severe blows to Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, but that order was later lifted. "On June 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of State ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Lebanon due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region," the State Department said in its notice. The Israel-Iran war, which began on June 13 with Israeli attacks on Iran, has raised further alarms in a region that was already on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023. The U.S. State Department has a "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisory for Lebanon.
