The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Media Center issued a statement to confirm the beginning of operation Al-Jazeera Thunderbolt targeting ISIS cells in Al-Hol and Tal Hamis. 

The statement said: "In conjunction with the continuous Turkish threats and attacks on the regions of NE Syria, ISIS has escalated its terrorist attacks against the region’s population, especially communities that challenge ISIS’ extremist ideology, including our societies governed by tribal measures. Therefore, over the past period in which our forces were preoccupied with confronting the Turkish occupation attacks, ISIS terrorist cells resorted to propagating their brutality again by increasing their criminal activity, practicing takfir, and publishing posters and leaflets threatening all those participating in removing the ISIS effects and restoring life to their communities." 

The statement added: "Over the past period, ISIS cells have increased the arming and financing activity by imposing zakat and carrying out terrorist attacks, the latest of which was the attack on a prison containing its criminal elements and a center of the Internal Security Forces in the city of Raqqa, in addition to eight failed attempted attacks on the al-Hol camp and areas in Deir Ezzor and al-Hasaka. All of these prove ISIS’ intention and quest to take advantage of all circumstances to activate its cells, carrying out more terrorist attacks."

The statement continued: "Our forces, which have made great sacrifices confronting the escalated threat of ISIS over the past period in the absence of real global solutions to this phenomenon and the unequal support that is not proportional to the real threat ISIS poses to the region and the world, confirm once again their determination to escalate their struggle in the coming period, and accordingly,  on December 29, at 1:00 A.M., our forces, with the participation of the Internal Security Forces of NE Syria and the International Coalition against ISIS, launched Operation al-Jazeera Thunderbolt to eliminate ISIS terrorist cells and clear the terrorist hotbeds from areas that were the source of the recent terrorist attacks against the al-Hol camp, al-Hasaka and south of Qamishli and that could be source for possible attacks, specifically the al-Hol area and Tal Hamis.

This operation, which comes in the context of absolute necessity and in retaliation to our martyrs’ blood in Raqqa, will be the beginning of operations against ISIS for the new year 2023, and on this basis, our forces will act strongly and decisively to confront any threat to our people and associations."