Syria says arrested 'prominent' Islamic State commander

Syrian authorities said Tuesday they had arrested a prominent Islamic State group commander in the country's north in the latest operation against the jihadists.

In a statement, the interior ministry said security forces and unnamed international partners "arrested Hamza Abdullah Mohammad, nicknamed Abu Jihad al-Muhajir, a prominent IS military leader", near Manbij in the northern province of Aleppo.

The ministry said Mohammad served as a general commander for the group in the Damascus region and was formerly a deputy military commander.

He was previously in charge of Idlib province for the group, the ministry added.

"This operation is part of ongoing security efforts to pursue IS cells and leaders, dismantle its networks, and prevent its attempts to regroup and threaten the security of citizens and stability in the country."

Once in control of swathes of Syria and Iraq, IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019, but remnants of the group are still there, particularly in the country's vast desert.

The group occasionally claims attacks, mainly targeting Syrian security forces.

Last month, Syria accused the group of being behind a Damascus bombing during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, near a hotel where he spent the night, and authorities arrested the cell responsible.

Syria's government, which ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024, last year joined a US-led coalition against IS.