Tipsheet

Israel Breaks Up ISIS Cell Operating In Their Backyard

Well, this is scary. Israeli officials are confirming that their security services have broken up an ISIS cell inside the country (via CBS News):

Israel's Shin Bet security service says it arrested the first known Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) cell operating inside the country.

The intelligence agency said Sunday that the seven cell members belong to the country's Arab minority.

It said they were caught just before executing an attack and were practicing on animals how to behead people.

It said the seven admitted to belonging to the extremist group, which controls about a third of Iraq and Syria, where it has beheaded scores of captive soldiers as well as Western journalists and aid workers.

Thousands of Muslims from Western countries are believed to have flocked to Syria to join ISIS. The Shin Bet estimates that around 30 Arab Israelis have joined the group in Syria.

ISIS has been creeping into the area, with nearly 700 ISIS fighters poised on the Lebanese border. These 700 fighters are allegedly moderate Syrian rebels who have sworn allegiance to ISIS, an aspect that sheds light into dangers of the proposed U.S. operation to send 400 troops into Syria to train these groups; we would have to vet which ones are friend or enemy, which won’t be easy.