Syrian authorities said on Sunday they arrested two ISIS members in the east of the country, blaming them for targeted killings including that of a defense ministry official. In a statement, the internal security forces announced the arrest of "two individuals following close intelligence surveillance" in Deir Ezzor. They are accused of "carrying out a series of assassinations in the governorate, the latest of which was targeting Ministry of Defense member Ibrahim al-Jassem" in the city of Mayadin. Syrian authorities blamed the group for a bombing in Damascus while French President Emmanuel Macron was visiting the country in July, and said they had dismantled the cell responsible. According to a report presented to the United Nations Security Council that same month, the group counts some 3,000 combatants in Syria.
