The army intelligence directorate has arrested one of the most senior leaders of the Islamic State group in north Lebanon after he was tasked with carrying out a terrorist operation targeted against Pope Leo’s visit to Lebanon in late 2025, MTV has reported.

The report said the Syrian detainee is known as Al-Daamish and previously held the position of Aleppo’s deputy chief within the extremist organization. He was later arrested by the former regime's security apparatus, where he remained in prison for three years. Following the collapse of the Syrian regime, he managed to escape and enter Lebanon illegally.