US operation in Syria reportedly killed regime agent, not IS member

BEIRUT — A U.S. operation targeting a suspected Islamic State (IS) commander northeast of Damascus last Friday reportedly killed an individual with no ties to the jihadist organization but connected to Syria's new authorities, according to the media outlet The New Arab, citing several Arab and specialized Syrian news sites.

U.S. special forces, in coordination with Syrian security services, were aiming at Khaled Massoud al-Badri, suspected of being a senior IS (Islamic State Group) official responsible for providing intelligence to the extremist group and facilitating its fighters’ movements, in the town of Doumayr, northeast of the Syrian capital.

The website Syria Weekly, relying on four "well-informed" sources, reports that Massoud actually worked for the intelligence branch of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — the Islamist rebel group that led the offensive that resulted in the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

After the Assad regime was overthrown, Massoud is said to have joined Syrian intelligence services under the authority of Interior Minister Anas Khattab, according to Syria Weekly.

When U.S. and Syrian forces stormed his home in Doumayr, they ordered him to surrender, but he refused. A shootout ensued, during which he was shot in the abdomen before being captured.

The man was reportedly "quickly released" after both forces realized he did not belong to IS.

He later succumbed to his wounds in the hospital, according to the same outlet. Two of the sources cited by the site claim the decision to target him was based on "politically motivated" intelligence provided by members of the Free Syrian Army, a U.S.-backed faction operating in the al-Tanf area near the Syria-Jordan-Iraq border.

Members of the al-Badri Bedouin tribe, to which Massoud belonged, have called for mass protests in response to the incident and have filed a complaint with the Syrian Interior Ministry, according to multiple reports.

The incident is now raising concerns about a possible deterioration in relations between Washington and Damascus, as U.S. envoy for Syria and Lebanon Tom Barrack had initially welcomed the operation, declaring on X: “Syria is back at our side.”