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.

Underlining the potential concerns, Lebanon's General Security Directorate said on Monday it had arrested a "terrorist" cell in Beirut that sought to carry out attacks against sensitive areas in the Lebanese capital.

It said the cell was linked to extremist organisations and planned to launch synchronised attacks. They had been monitored for several weeks.

Suspected ISIS leader detained by Lebanese army

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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.