UN Report Reveals Five Foiled ISIS Plots to Assassinate Syria's President and Ministers
A UN report says Syria’s president and two ministers were targeted in five foiled assassination attempts by an ISIS-linked front group last year, as militants exploit security vacuums and continue operating across the country.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - From northern Aleppo to southern Daraa, five assassination plots unfolded in the shadows of Syria’s fragile security landscape, each one aimed at the heart of the country’s leadership, according to a United Nations report released to the Security Council.
On Wednesday, the UN chief said Syria’s president, interior minister, and foreign minister were the targets of five foiled assassination attempts last year, in a report on threats posed by ISIS militants.
The report, issued by Secretary-General António Guterres and prepared by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, said President Ahmad al-Sharaa was targeted in northern Aleppo, the country’s most populous province, and in southern Daraa. The attempts were attributed to a group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, assessed to be a front for ISIS.
The report gave no dates or operational details regarding the attempts against al-Sharaa, Syrian Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab, and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shiabani. It said the assassination plots demonstrate that the militant group remains intent on undermining the new Syrian government and is “actively exploiting security vacuums and uncertainty” in Syria.
Al-Sharaa was “assessed to be a primary target” of ISIS, according to the report, which said the front group provided the organization with plausible deniability and “improved operational capacity.”
Al-Sharaa has led Syria since his rebel forces ousted longtime President Bashar Assad in December 2024, ending a 14-year civil war. He previously led Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a militant group that was once affiliated with al-Qaida before cutting ties.
In November, his government joined the international coalition formed to counter ISIS, which once controlled a large part of Syria.
UN counter-terrorism experts said the militant group still operates across the country, primarily attacking security forces, particularly in the north and northeast.
In an ambush attack on Dec. 13 on US and Syrian forces near Palmyra, two US servicemen and an American civilian were killed, and three Americans and three members of Syria’s security forces were wounded. President Donald Trump retaliated by launching military operations to eliminate ISIS fighters.
According to latest reposts, ISIS maintains an estimated 3,000 fighters across Iraq and Syria, with the majority based in Syria.
The US military in late January began transferring ISIS detainees held in northeastern Syria to Iraq to ensure they remain in secure facilities, and Iraq has said it will prosecute the militants. Syrian government forces had taken control of a sprawling camp housing thousands of ISIS detainees following the withdrawal of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces as part of a ceasefire with Kurdish fighters.
The UN report was prepared by the Office of Counter-Terrorism and submitted to the Security Council, focusing on ongoing threats posed by ISIS in Syria and Iraq, including attacks on security forces, leadership targets, and the management of detainees.
Despite leadership changes and international efforts, the UN says ISIS remains capable of striking at the core of Syria’s authorities, using front networks to sustain lethal reach.