Syria says 7 killed in Damascus IS cell operation

Syrian security forces said two of their personnel and five members of a cell affiliated with the Islamic State group were killed during an operation in the Damascus region on Thursday.

A security forces statement carried by state television said forces, working with intelligence services, targeted an IS-affiliated cell in Rankus in the Damascus countryside.

The statement said cell members refused to surrender and opened fire, leading to clashes that killed two security force personnel and wounded five others.

Syrian security forces said the operation ended with five cell members killed, six others arrested and weapons and explosive belts seized.

Syrian authorities regularly announce operations against IS-affiliated networks and people accused of planning attacks. Earlier this month, they said they had arrested a key IS operative allegedly responsible for planning and overseeing attacks, including a deadly mosque blast in Homs last year.

Islamic State was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019, but remnants remain in the country, including in its desert areas. The group occasionally claims attacks, mainly targeting Syrian security forces.