Syrian Internal Security Forces announced on Friday, August 7, that two members of the Islamic State group, ISIS, had been “neutralized” in the Sayyidah Zaynab area (Rif Dimashq Governorate, southern Syria).

Internal Security said one of its night patrols operating in Sayyidah Zaynab became suspicious of two masked individuals positioned on the side of a road while the patrol was carrying out duties on routes leading to military barracks and government facilities in the area.

The force said the two individuals opened fire when patrol members attempted to stop them and verify their identities, triggering an exchange of fire that ended with their “neutralization.”

Internal Security added that an examination of the site showed the two suspects had been attempting to plant an explosive device in preparation for what it described as a terrorist attack targeting a government body.

It also said explosive devices and weapons were found in their possession and that the two were linked to ISIS.

After Jaramana Bombing

The announcement about the Sayyidah Zaynab incident came one day after a bombing in Jaramana (Rif Dimashq Governorate, southern Syria).

An explosive device detonated inside a minibus in Jaramana on Thursday, August 6, killing and injuring several people.

Fahd al-Fahd, director of the media office at the Interior Ministry, told Enab Baladi that an explosive device planted inside a public minibus detonated in the city, confirming that there had been deaths and injuries.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent cited security sources in the neighborhood as saying the device had been planted inside the minibus beneath a seat occupied by a man and his wife. The husband was killed, while his wife sustained injuries to her legs.

A security source also confirmed to the Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA, that the explosion was caused by an explosive device inside a minibus in Jaramana, adding that forensic teams were handling human remains in accordance with established procedures.

The Health Ministry’s Directorate of Referral, Ambulance and Emergency Services told SANA that two people were killed and 13 others injured in the explosion, in a preliminary toll.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, while security agencies continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident and identify those involved.

ISIS Cells Arrested

On August 1, the Syrian Interior Ministry announced that it had dismantled an ISIS cell in Deir Ezzor Governorate (eastern Syria) following a security operation carried out by Internal Security Forces in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service. The operation resulted in the arrest of the cell’s leader and several of its members.

The operation followed an earlier announcement on July 28 that two ISIS cells had been arrested in Aleppo Governorate (northern Syria).

ISIS had previously claimed responsibility for several assassinations targeting security and military personnel, most of which have recently been concentrated in rural Aleppo Governorate.

Separately, the Syrian government accused ISIS of carrying out bombings in Damascus, including a prominent attack that coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the Syrian capital on July 7.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry has been conducting campaigns against ISIS members in several areas of Syria in an effort to curb the group’s operations, which have increased recently.