ISIS Leader's Wife And Son Arrested In Lebanon.

On Tuesday, news spread about the reported arrest and interrogation of the wife and son of Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Lebanon.

Details about the development are still coming into focus. The AP and others reported that the two of them "were carrying fake identification cards" when they were picked up near the Syrian border about 10 days ago. The Lebanese newspaper As-Safir noted that the operation was conducted with the involvement of “foreign intelligence.” As Reuters reported, Baghdadi is believed to have three wives, "two Iraqis and one Syrian."

By some accounts, the capture of Baghdadi's wife and son provides the Lebanese government with a valuable bargaining chip.

According to a security source quoted in AFP, "the wife and child were taken to the defense ministry headquarters in Yarze, just outside the capital Beirut, 'where investigations were continuing.'" The source added that the arrests had been kept under wraps so that security arrangements could be made.

It's unclear how useful these arrests will ultimately be, but they come as Lebanese authorities attempt to secure the release of 20 soldiers who are currently being held captive by Islamist groups. By some accounts, the capture of Baghdadi's wife and son provides the Lebanese government with a valuable bargaining chip.

This is already proving to be a bad week for ISIS. While the United States and Turkey had been rumored to be close to a deal to coordinate efforts against the Islamic State, on Tuesday, the Iraqi government reached a once-elusive agreement with the Kurds on both oil sharing and military cooperation in the campaign to fight ISIS.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who took over for the divisive Nuri al-Maliki, is receiving plaudits for his role in bringing the Kurds back into the fold and at least temporarily staving off a Kurdish push for independence.