Lebanon nabs ISIL operative who sent fighters to al-Raqa

The Lebanese Army Intelligence Directorate recently arrested a high-level "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) operative who has been charged with smuggling fighters across the border to bolster the group's ranks in Syria.

Security forces apprehended Abu Bilal al-Qabbout, a Syrian national, and three Syrians who were with him, during a dawn raid on August 26th in the town of Rajm Issa in Lebanon's Wadi Khaled region near the Syrian border.

The cell was taken to the Army Intelligence Directorate headquarters at the Ministry of Defence, where its members are being investigated.

Al-Qabbout’s arrest followed a long surveillance operation, said Lebanese journalist Ghassan Rifi, who covers security affairs in the north.

It is significant in light of the information he can provide, he said, adding that al-Qabbout was a key conduit for fighters, weapons and funds between ISIL's Syrian stronghold of al-Raqa and northern Lebanon, and an investigation will lead to the disclosure of the names of people involved with him in Lebanon and Syria.

Rifi told Al-Mashareq he has learned that al-Qabbout "is the ISIL official in Lebanon in charge of smuggling".

In addition to smuggling arms and supplies across the border, he said, al-Qabbout "was actively involved in moving fighters and wanted individuals to Syria in exchange for large sums of money, ranging between $1,000 and $3,000 per person".

ISIL had recently commissioned him to smuggle new recruits on several occasions, Rifi said, adding that he has learned from the investigating authorities that al-Qabbout is "a member of ISIL and not just a collaborator".

"The cell headed by al-Qabbout succeeded in past months in smuggling a number of senior figures wanted by the law, most notably Nabil Skaff, an ISIL leader in northern Lebanon," he said.

Skaff was killed in Aleppo a month ago along with two other individuals who had recently joined ISIL, Rifi said.

"Those individuals had major roles in the Tripoli markets battles between the army and extremist groups in October 2014," he said.

Tripoli residents reject ISIL

Al-Qabbout’s arrest is an "important step in the efforts to combat terrorism and the smuggling of suicide bombers from Lebanon to Syria and in the reverse direction", said Future Movement official and former Tripoli MP Mustafa Allouch.

"The arrest comes at a time ISIL and its influence are in decline as a result of the major losses it is suffering," he told Al-Mashareq.

Tripoli residents "do not toe ISIL’s line", he said, adding that the group's vision "is not agreeable to the Sunnis of the north, who view the group as representing extremism".

While al-Qabbout’s arrest will have an impact on ISIL's recruitment operations in Lebanon, Allouch said, work remains to be done.

"There are many like him," he said, adding that the challenge lies in how to eliminate the root causes that influence people to espouse ISIL’s ideology and that of other armed groups fighting in Syria that drive young people to join.

Sleeper cells

Lebanese security agencies have access to advanced technologies that enable them to uncover sleeper cells by monitoring their communication, movements and social media, said military strategy expert Brig. Gen. Naji Malaeb, a retired Lebanese military officer.

"The agencies have become experts at counter-terrorism and the pursuit of [terror] cells, and more importantly, they are placing maximum importance on terrorism-related cases," he told Al-Mashareq.

These agencies have been conducting "qualitative operations" that have led to significant arrests, he said -- some of which are announced, while others are kept secret for security reasons and to protect the integrity of the investigations.

"Al-Qabbout’s arrest will definitely lead to a decrease in the smuggling of people for the benefit of ISIL, as anyone who considers doing it will think twice before carrying out the tasks asked of him," Malaeb said.