Several assassination attempts targeted Syria's al-Sharaa, ministers: UN

"Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and two of his senior cabinet ministers were the targets of five foiled assassination attempts by ISIL (ISIS) over the past year, according to a report by the United Nations. The document, released on Wednesday by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, underscores the persistent threat posed by the armed group, which is reportedly using front organisations to destabilise Syria's transitional government."

"The UN report identified the perpetrators as a group calling itself Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah. Counterterrorism experts assessed this entity to be a front for ISIL, designed to provide the fighters with plausible deniability while offering improved operational capacity to strike high-value targets without immediately implicating the central leadership. The report warned that these attempts are further evidence that the group is actively exploiting security vacuums and uncertainty to undermine the new Syrian administration."

"Al-Sharaa, the former leader of the armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, assumed leadership of Syria after his forces ousted longtime President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, ending a 14-year civil war. His government officially joined the international coalition against ISIL in November. Despite losing its territorial base, ISIL maintains a significant underground presence. UN experts estimate the group commands approximately 3,000 fighters across Iraq and Syria, with the majority based in Syria."

ISIL carried out five foiled assassination attempts last year targeting President Ahmed al-Sharaa and two senior ministers, Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. The attempts occurred in northern Aleppo and the southern province of Deraa. Perpetrators called themselves Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah and are assessed by counterterrorism experts to be a front for ISIL, offering plausible deniability and improved operational capacity to strike high-value targets. The group is exploiting security vacuums and uncertainty to undermine the new administration. ISIL retains an underground force of about 3,000 fighters, mainly in Syria, primarily targeting security forces.

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