NewsSeveral assassination attempts targeted Syria’s al-Sharaa, ministers: UNReport by Secretary-General Guterres reveals ‘Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah’ group sought to kill Ahmed al-Sharaa and top cabinet members last year.
According to a report by the United Nations, five assassination attempts on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and two senior cabinet ministers were thwarted by ISIL over the past year. The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism released the document on Wednesday,…
According to a report by the United Nations, five assassination attempts on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and two senior cabinet ministers were thwarted by ISIL over the past year. The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism released the document on Wednesday, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by the armed group, which appears to be using front organizations to destabilize Syria’s transitional government.
The targeted individuals included President al-Sharaa, Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab, and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. The UN report, while not specifying the dates, indicated that these attempts occurred in northern Aleppo and the southern province of Deraa.
The report identifies the group responsible for these plots as “Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah.” Counterterrorism experts believe this group acts as a front for ISIL, providing fighters with plausible deniability and enhanced operational capacity to attack high-value targets without directly implicating the central leadership.
The report further warns that these actions demonstrate ISIL’s active exploitation of security vacuums and uncertainties in undermining the Syrian administration.
According to a report by the United Nations, five assassination attempts on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and two senior cabinet ministers were thwarted by ISIL over the past year.
Despite the loss of its territorial base, ISIL maintains a significant underground presence. UN experts estimate that the group commands approximately 3,000 fighters across Iraq and Syria, with most based in Syria. Their primary targets are security forces, particularly in the north and northeast of Syria.
The lethality of ISIL's sleeper cells was underscored on December 13, 2025, during an ambush near Palmyra, resulting in the deaths of two United States servicemen and an American civilian, with additional injuries to three Americans and three Syrian security personnel. In response, US President Donald Trump initiated military operations targeting ISIL fighters in the region.
The security situation is further complicated by the status of thousands of detainees. Following a ceasefire agreement with Kurdish-led forces, the Syrian government assumed control of camps housing ISIL suspects and their families. As of December, over 25,740 individuals remain in the al-Hol and Roj camps in northeastern Syria, with more than 60 percent of residents being children, highlighting the humanitarian dimension of the crisis.
In late January, the US military commenced the transfer of ISIL detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq to ensure secure detention, with Baghdad committing to prosecuting the fighters.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.
