Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba said security forces arrested five wanted people on Thursday, September 17, in al-Sanamayn (northern Daraa, southern Syria).

Al-Baba said in a post on X that the five individuals would soon be brought to justice. At the same time, Internal Security forces continued their deployment across the city to secure it and maintain stability.

He said the security operation had so far dismantled “criminal cells and terrorist cells” linked to the Islamic State group (ISIS) that had been coordinating with one another.

He added that security forces lifted a cordon imposed on several neighborhoods where clashes had taken place as the operation moved into a new phase.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Daraa reported that security forces arrested four people in al-Sanamayn but was unable to confirm the arrest of the fifth individual.

The correspondent said the city was experiencing cautious calm after hours of clashes between security forces and groups led by Mohsen al-Haimad.

Internal Security forces had said they found weapons and ammunition while searching positions used by an ISIS cell in al-Sanamayn, in the Daraa countryside.

Three Internal Security Personnel Killed

Al-Sanamayn witnessed clashes on Thursday morning between security forces and an armed group inside the city as security personnel carried out an operation to arrest a wanted individual.

The clashes killed three members of the Internal Security forces and wounded others.

Internal Security forces said in a statement that one of their patrols came under attack by an armed group “operating outside the law” and led by a wanted individual while the mission was underway, triggering clashes between the two sides.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent reported that the clashes erupted during a raid by Internal Security forces targeting a wanted individual who belonged to a group led by Mohsen al-Haimad.

The correspondent said the clashes had resulted, as of the time of publication, in the deaths of three Internal Security Forces members, Salloum al-Masalmeh, Nael al-Safadi, and Mustafa Saad al-Din, in addition to injuries among other personnel.

Schools in the city were also closed on Thursday, with classes suspended until the curfew was lifted and movement inside the city was permitted.

Internal Security forces did not disclose the identity of the wanted individual whom the security force had been attempting to arrest.

Renewed Confrontation With al-Haymad’s Group

The latest clashes follow a series of confrontations and security operations in al-Sanamayn over recent months, in which Mohsen al-Haymad and his group have been a principal party.

In March 2025, Internal Security carried out a security campaign in al-Sanamayn targeting local groups, including al-Haymad’s group, while also searching for weapons that had not been handed over at settlement centers. The confrontations resulted in deaths and injuries at the time, before Internal Security imposed a curfew and surrounded the group’s positions inside the city.

The following day, Internal Security entered al-Sanamayn’s western neighborhood, where groups affiliated with al-Haymad had taken positions. The operation ended with security forces reasserting control over the city and arresting dozens of people, while Mohsen al-Haymad fled to an unknown location, according to Enab Baladi’s correspondent at the time.

The operation was preceded by an agreement in January 2025 that halted clashes in the city following the assassination of local commander Fahd al-Dhiyab. The agreement stipulated a ceasefire and the handover of heavy and medium weapons by the factions, while allowing them to retain light weapons at the time.

The Military Operations Administration later opened weapons handover centers in al-Sanamayn following clashes in the city between local groups and a group that had previously been linked to Military Security under the ousted regime.