Lebanon Reports Foiling ISIS Plan to Attack Religious and Government Sites

On Friday, January 19, the Lebanese Interior Minister announced that, in collaboration with an ISIS spy, the group's plan to attack religious sites and government buildings in Lebanon during the holidays has been thwarted. According to AFP, Nohad Machnouk stated at a press conference that Lebanese security forces had successfully identified and arrested an Iraqi ISIS commander in Beirut last summer. This commander, named Abu Ja'far al-Iraqi, was instructed by ISIS leadership to establish a network in Lebanon that could not only carry out attacks but also hide ISIS leaders fleeing from Syria and Iraq. The Lebanese Interior Minister further added that after the arrest of this Iraqi commander, security forces monitored him for five months through an individual who had gained his trust before the arrest, a spy who also rented a house for the Iraqi commander, but this house was under the surveillance of Lebanese authorities. Nohad Machnouk then stated, 'This is one of the very rare operations where you have someone of such importance in this terrorist organization and can utilize him for five months to discover what plans they have for religious sites and government buildings.' He also remarked, 'The nature of such an operation, as I said, is unprecedented in the Arab world.' The ISIS caliphate, also known as the 'Islamic State,' had controlled vast areas in Syria and Iraq but has now been defeated. However, despite carrying out bloody attacks in Lebanon, the group has never been able to seize any part of the country's territory. Based on a video shown by Lebanese officials on Friday, Lebanese security forces had been trying to trap Abu Ja'far since late 2016 with the help of officials from other Arab countries.