A senior ISIS security official arrested in Lebanon had been living in the country on a “semi-permanent” basis, Lebanese judicial sources said. Investigators suspect he served as the group’s general security emir for its self-proclaimed Southern and Central provinces in Syria. Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) said its units continue to carry out preemptive operations to track down extremist cells and dismantle their networks before they can launch attacks. It announced that it arrested a Syrian national identified by the initials H.R., born in 1994, on June 30. According to preliminary investigations, the suspect was not a rank-and-file militant but had risen through ISIS’s leadership before assuming responsibility for overseeing the group’s security and operational activities in southern and central Syria. His duties included supervising security operations, managing militant movements, implementing orders from senior leaders, and coordinating with commanders in other Syrian provinces. While the ISF declined to disclose where the suspect was arrested or details of his movements inside Lebanon, a Lebanese judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was detained in Beirut last week after an intensive intelligence operation tracked his presence in the country. The source said preliminary questioning showed the suspect had been residing in Lebanon on a near-permanent basis. He admitted planning attacks inside Syria, including preparations to target a Syrian army barracks in Daraa province and other sites elsewhere in the country. Lebanese judicial and security authorities are analyzing evidence seized from the suspect, particularly his mobile phone and laptop, to examine his communications, identify the extent of his network, and determine whether he received support or instructions from other parties. Two of the suspect’s relatives were detained for questioning but later released after investigators found no evidence linking them to the case or the plots. The source said Lebanese authorities attach particular importance to the investigation because of the suspect’s senior position within ISIS, which could provide valuable intelligence on the group’s networks and operations inside Syria. Lebanon also plans to coordinate with the relevant Syrian authorities to exchange information on his contacts and determine whether individuals or groups inside Syria were involved in planning any attacks. The source said the suspect denied any role in the recent Damascus bombings claimed by ISIS but stressed that the investigation remains ongoing pending an examination of his electronic devices.
