By Noureddine Omar | 2026-06-30

Facing intelligence-led operations and severe leadership losses, the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) is experiencing a slow decline as its influence weakens.

ISIS long devastated Syria, exploiting the former regime's catastrophic failure to secure the vast, lawless central desert regions.

Now, Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration aggressively strengthens national security apparatuses, desperately working to dismantle and neutralize remnants of terrorist cells.

"The tide has turned across Syria; with the old regime ousted and a new order established, ISIS is witnessing the final, desperate days of its existence," military expert and terror group specialist Yahya Mohammed Ali told Al-Fassel.

"Reduced to isolated, desperate acts for mere survival, these remnants carry out attacks that are ultimately hollow, ineffective, and without consequence," he added.

Neutralizing hidden sleeper cells

Traditional ground sweeps across vast desert regions have proven ineffective at eradicating the persistent threat posed by remaining ISIS cells.

A critical shift toward high-level intelligence and covert infiltration is now essential to dismantle the group's fragmented and hidden infrastructure.

"This intelligence-led approach has proven historically effective at rooting out sleeper cells and permanently neutralizing the threat," Ali stated.

Deep penetration of ISIS ranks

"Interior Minister Anas Khattab is weaponizing over eight years of counter-ISIS experience -- forged in Idlib -- to systematically hunt down the group’s last remaining operatives," Syrian journalist Mohammed al-Abdullah told Al-Fassel.

Khattab revealed that his most potent counter-terrorism weapon was a deep network of infiltrators who successfully penetrated the group's highest ranks.

This strategic intelligence recently facilitated the capture of ISIS’s Syrian operations leader, along with commanders overseeing Damascus and southern Syria.

The October 2025 raid by US Forces and a local Syrian group exposed Khattab’s strategy via the tragic loss of intelligence operative Khaled al-Masoud.

"This incident became the bridge for a vital intelligence partnership with US forces to eliminate the remaining ISIS threat," al-Abdullah added.

Experts agree that this strategic partnership accelerates Syria's stabilization, effectively sealing the terminal decline of the remaining, fractured ISIS insurgency.